Fresh Car, an Edinburgh-based mobile car care startup, has secured £500,000 in funding as the firm prepares to launch a ‘SMART repair’ business and acceleration expansion.

Led by Foresight Group, the investment follows an impressive period of growth for the startup, which has doubled headcount since the beginning of the year and expanded across the UK and Ireland.

Fresh Car increased headcount to 14 this year and now boasts 75 franchises.

Additionally, the company said it is targeting a significant increase in franchises in London and the South East of England over the next twelve months.

Sam Brennan, Founder and CEO of Fresh Car, added: “We are demonstrating that there is a new way for people to manage their car care, from cleaning and basic car care, right through to maintenance and repairs.

“So, the ‘SMART repair’ service we are trialling locally in Edinburgh is something we fully expect to roll-out UK-wide in 2023.  Front and centre, we remain absolutely committed to customer service through our franchise network.”

Brennan added: “We’re excited to have both the backing of Foresight, and Graeme’s dedicated support and advice as the newest addition to our board.”

Transforming Car Care

There are approximately 31 million car owners across the UK, and the car care market is currently valued at over £1.2 billion,.

Brennan said the the Fresh Car site and app aims to deliver a “highly professional” car care service that is “revolutionising the way people manage their car care.”

Having grown monthly platform revenue significantly since the beginning of the year, Brennan sees scope for further expansion.

This includes expanding the number of franchises to around 100 in the coming months.

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Similarly, looking ahead to 2023 Brennan revealed the company intends to grow its B2B offering by meeting demand for valeting and repairs, and is also likely to ramp up its service offering for the electric vehicles sector.

Graeme McKinstry, investment director at Foresight will join the Fresh Car board as part of the investment deal.

Commenting on the investment, McKinstry added: “We are delighted to invest alongside the experienced angel investors, backing Sam and the Fresh Car team for their next stage of growth.

“The team is targeting a significant market opportunity and has built a scalable technology platform, enabling the business to grow quickly with recent new franchise launches across the UK and Ireland.”

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