Armor All Going, but O.C. Won’t Lose All Its Polish
Armor All Products Inc. may be leaving, but Orange County still is home to a bunch of car care products companies. Armor All was recently purchased by Clorox Co., which says it will consolidate the business with its other operations in Oakland. Clorox plans to close Armor All’s Aliso Viejo headquarters later this year and to lay off most of the 100 workers.
And at least three other local car wax and polish makers are gearing up for a spate of job applications from Armor All’s staff. The three are Mirror Bright Polish Co. in Irvine, maker of the Meguiar’s line; Mothers Polishes, Waxes & Cleaners in Huntington Beach; and the auto care division of Boyds Wheels Inc. in Stanton.
Meguiar’s is the granddaddy of them all--CEO Barry Meguiar says the company was started by his grandfather in Evanston, Ill., in 1901. The family business moved to Pasadena in 1913 and to Irvine in 1970. Meguiar won’t disclose annual sales, but industry analysts say premium-priced waxes and washes like Meguiar’s account for a relatively small part of the estimated $500 million market.
Meguiar’s sells about half its products to the professional car care industry--manufacturers, detailing shops and paint and body shops--and about half in retail stores. The company has 60 employees at its Irvine headquarters and an additional 100 workers in Nashville, where it owns its own manufacturing facility.
Mothers waxes and washes are manufactured under contract by a firm in Florida but are formulated and marketed at corporate headquarters in Huntington Beach. The company is owned by Barbara Holloway, whose late husband founded it with a partner in 1973. The company sells largely to retail stores, where its products, like Meguiar’s, are considered premium waxes and polishes with prices ranging up to $20 for a 16-ounce can of pure carnuba paste wax.
Custom hot rod builder Boyd Coddington, who has parlayed his name and talents into a mini-conglomerate of automotive companies under the publicly traded Boyds Wheels banner, has just launched his line of Boyds Ultra Violet waxes, wheel and glass cleaners and other auto care products. The products are sold through a number retailers, including the 2,000-store Auto Zone retail chain. They are considered ultra premium products: Boyds paste wax sells for $39.95.
John O’Dell covers major Orange County corporations and manufacturers for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com
