Driven Brands Holdings Inc. is selling IMO Car Wash to Franchise Equity Partners for €406 million -- about $606 million.
TORONTO, ONTARIO / Collision Repair Magazine / December 5, 2025 -- Driven Brands Holdings Inc. is selling IMO Car Wash to Franchise Equity Partners for €406 million -- about $606 million.
The company announced the deal on December 2 and said the business will be classified as discontinued operations beginning in the fourth quarter.
IMO operates a network of conveyor car wash locations across Europe and Australia. The business includes more than 900 sites offering automated wash services under the IMO and ARC brands. Its operations focus on high-volume wash services located in retail plazas and fuel forecourts rather than full service detailing centres.
Driven Brand's chief executive Danny Rivera said IMO is a strong business but outside the company’s core direction. He said the divestiture “sharpens our focus on what we do best — scaling Take 5 and driving consistent cash generation through our franchise brands.”
The sale is expected to reduce the company’s debt. Driven Brands said the transaction “will reduce pro forma leverage by approximately 0.3x and demonstrates our commitment to achieve 3x net leverage by the end of 2026.”
In practical plain terms, this means the company expects the deal to lower its debt ratio and move closer to a target of carrying debt that is roughly three times its earnings by 2026.
The planned sale is part of a shift toward franchised maintenance, repair and service brands, with the company removing non-core operations. Driven Brands operates collision, paint, glass and mechanical brands across North America.
The IMO transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.
