Jiffy Lube facts for kids
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A Jiffy Lube store in Richmond Hill, Ontario
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| Wholly owned subsidiary | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1971 Ogden, Utah, U.S. |
| Founder | Edwin H. Washburn |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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over 2,200 (2008) |
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Key people
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Edward Hymes, President |
| Owner | Shell plc |
| Parent | Shell US |
Jiffy Lube International, Inc. is a well-known American company that specializes in changing the oil in cars. It also offers other services to help keep cars running smoothly. Jiffy Lube started in Utah, United States, in 1971. Today, it is part of a bigger company called Shell and has its main office in Houston, Texas.
Jiffy Lube Today
There are about 2,000 Jiffy Lube stores across North America. Most of these stores are owned and run by different local business owners. These are called franchises. About 252 different owners operate these stores.
In 2002, Jiffy Lube served around 24 million customers each year. The company has been recognized as a top business in the fast oil change industry. For example, in 2011, it was ranked number one by National Oil and Lube News. It also appeared on lists of top franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine and Franchise Times.
The Story of Jiffy Lube
The very first Jiffy Lube store opened in 1971. It was located on 36th Street in Ogden, Utah. A person named Edwin H. Washburn started this first store. Over the next few years, Mr. Washburn allowed other people to open Jiffy Lube stores in Utah. This is how the franchise idea began.
In 1979, a football coach named W. James Hindman bought Mr. Washburn's seven Jiffy Lube stores. He then created Jiffy Lube International. The company's main office moved to Baltimore, Maryland. Many people consider 1979 as the official founding year for Jiffy Lube International, with Mr. Hindman as its founder.
Jiffy Lube became a public company in 1987. This means its shares could be bought and sold by anyone. By 1989, Jiffy Lube had grown a lot. It had opened over 1,019 stores, including both franchises and company-owned locations.
In 1991, Jiffy Lube became a part of another company called Pennzoil. Later, in 1998, Pennzoil merged with Quaker State. This merger brought 581 Q Lube stores into the Jiffy Lube family. At that time, Jiffy Lube had 1,541 stores in total. Some stores that were too close to each other were closed down. Finally, in 2002, Shell Oil Company bought Pennzoil-Quaker State. This made Jiffy Lube a part of Shell.
What Services Does Jiffy Lube Offer?
In June 2011, Jiffy Lube started a new program called Oil Change Schedule (OCS). This program helps customers decide when their car needs an oil change. It's not just about changing the oil every 3,000 miles anymore.
The OCS program looks at several things. It considers what the car's maker suggests. It also looks at how a person drives and the conditions of the roads. This means each driver gets a unique schedule for their oil changes. It helps make sure cars get the right care at the right time.
