A sharp increase in the number of oil change businesses in Warner Robins, Georgia, has prompted attention from city officials, reports 13WMAZ.
Warner Robins is currently home to 21 oil change facilities, with many of them sitting along the same street–namely Highway 96, Highway 247, and Russell Parkway.
One of these businesses is the Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers on Highway 96, where Manager Kevin Eakins said that a variety of options for oil changes isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While Express Oil Change aims to address a number of maintenance needs, he notes that other businesses perform different services, with some specifically specializing in oil changes.
Though the store sits across the street from a Take 5 Oil Change, Eakins said that there’s typically enough business to go around.
“Just because we have an oil change stop shop right across the street from another one doesn't mean we all do the same thing,” he said.
According to Kate Hogan, the city's community and economic development director, a dramatic increase has been seen in the number of vehicle service businesses, as well as fast food establishments. She credits this to a decrease in air travel and dine-in options during the pandemic.
With oil change services bringing 3 million visitors to Warner Robins annually, city officials do not wish to prevent any more oil change businesses from opening up, but are looking into taking measures to enforce some distance between each oil change stop in town. Ordinances or codes may be put in place to help guide these businesses more effectively.
“This is one of the challenges that comes with a growing population and we need to try and make a proactive approach to it,” explained Hogan.
