Two different products, not a “full” and a “light” version
A common mistake is to see the franchise as a “premium” version of the equipment and buying a station on its own as the budget version of the same thing. In fact they are different products for different situations. BRIZ equipment is a station with installation, warranty and factory service, which you run according to your own model. Franchise is the equipment plus a ready business system: help choosing the location, a financial model, software and CRM, opening marketing and 24/7 support. The choice depends not on your budget but on how much of that you already have.
What only the franchise includes
Remote control of the station itself — modes, programmes, prices, statistics by bay — comes with the equipment and works without a franchise: it is the control software. The franchise adds a layer above it: one CRM across several sites, a customer base with loyalty points and the network's mobile app.
For this the franchise charges a 5% royalty on gross revenue — payment not for the equipment but for the fact that all the processes above have already been worked out by the network and do not have to be built from scratch.
When buying the equipment on its own is enough
Buying a BRIZ station on its own makes sense if you already have part of what a franchise gives you: suitable premises or a plot of land, an understanding of local demand, an existing adjacent business — a service centre, a filling station, a tyre shop — with its own flow of customers and a site to install on. In that case you pay only for the equipment, from 430,000 ₽ per bay, plus installation and warranty, and build the business processes yourself or on the basis of experience you already have.
The set of functions — water, foam, wax, air blower, vacuum cleaner, turbo dryer — is chosen to match the site whether you buy a franchise or a station on its own. The difference is not in the equipment but in what surrounds it.
Money: how to count honestly
Comparing “cheaper” and “more expensive” head to head is not fair — these are different sets of services. Equipment on its own costs less at the start because you pay no royalty and get no support. A franchise costs more over time (a 5% royalty on revenue) and less in time and risk at the start — you do not spend months choosing a location, building a financial model and working out the marketing by trial and error. The honest question is not “which is cheaper” but “what would it cost me to do myself everything the franchise already includes”.
Control and the speed of decisions
When you buy the equipment on its own, every decision is yours and is made immediately, without agreeing it with the network: prices, opening hours, extra services. A franchise means shared brand standards and the network's recommendations — an advantage for those who value a proven model over complete freedom to experiment, and a drawback for those who want to test unconventional formats on their own site.
Scaling: a network of several sites
If you are planning not one site but several, the franchise model gives a clear advantage: one CRM for every location, tested hiring and training processes, a recognisable brand when entering a new city. When you scale on your own, every new site means choosing the location by hand again and building the processes from scratch, without the network's accumulated experience.
Can they be combined
Yes, and it is a common route. Some partners start by buying equipment on its own for a site they already have, and then move to the franchise model when they open a second location, so as not to build network management from scratch. The reverse happens too: a franchisee buys additional BRIZ stations for extra sites outside the franchise. The two products are compatible, not mutually exclusive.
Compare the franchise economics for your city →A short guide to the decision
If you already have a site, understand local demand and are ready to run the operations yourself, start with the equipment and the configuration calculator. If you are opening for the first time, have no time to analyse the location and do the marketing yourself, or plan a network of several sites, a franchise saves months and reduces the risk of mistakes that are most expensive at the start.
A table: what you get in each case
| What exactly | BRIZ equipment | The GEIZER franchise |
|---|---|---|
| Price per bay | from 430,000 ₽ — the base package | from 450,000 ₽ — with delivery, installation, commissioning and training |
| Lump-sum fee | no | 0 ₽ |
| Royalty | no | 5% of the revenue of a car wash already running |
| The brand on site | your own | GEIZER |
| Managing the station | Control software: modes, programmes, prices, statistics by bay | the same |
| The network CRM and the app | no | a customer base, loyalty points, the network's mobile app |
| Choosing the location | yourself | the network's help for a specific city |
| Financial model | yourself | a personal calculation for the site |
| Opening marketing | yourself | a strategy and ready materials |
| Service and spare parts | direct from the factory, 12-month warranty | the same, plus operational support |
| Who it suits | you have a site, traffic and experience — or an adjacent business | a first site, an unfamiliar market, no time to build the processes |
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between a GEIZER franchise and buying BRIZ equipment?
Equipment is a station that you install and run yourself. There is a third route people ask about most often — buy a working car wash. A franchise adds a ready business model: help choosing the location, a financial model, the network CRM with a customer base and an app, marketing and support — for a 5% royalty on revenue. Remote control of the station itself comes with the equipment and does not require a franchise.
If you already have premises and understand the business, do you need a franchise?
Not necessarily. If you have a suitable site and understand local demand, buying BRIZ equipment on its own is often enough.
Can you start with the equipment and move to a franchise later?
Yes, this is a common scenario when opening a second and further sites, where one system for managing the network is needed.
Which is cheaper at the start — a franchise or the equipment?
Equipment is cheaper at the start. Whether the franchise pays off depends on what it would cost you to work out the location, the financial model and the marketing yourself — all of which the franchise hands you ready-made.