Around the Industry: June 2026

Hedge Fund Makes Offer to Acquire Full Control of Driven Brands

ADW Capital Management, a Miami Beach, Florida-based hedge fund management firm, announced that it has made an all-cash offer to buy Driven Brands at $18 per share—a figure that would value the company at about $3 billion and is 41% above the previous day’s closing share price of $12.74.

ADW Capital currently holds a 3.7% stake in Driven Brands, the parent company of Take 5 Oil Change and a portfolio of other automotive aftermarket brands. Private equity firm Roark Capital is the current majority owner of Driven.

On Thursday, ADW sent an open letter to the Driven Brands Holdings board of directors and to Roark Capital Group, presenting its offer. ADW expressed disappointment that the parties declined to engage in a strategic review process following a previous communication from ADW on March 26, adding that Driven Brands is “materially undervalued due to self-inflicted structural, capital allocation, and governance failures” and that Roark is focusing on positioning its larger restaurant platforms at the expense of Driven.

“Is this how Roark treats its private investors who ‘lock-up’ their capital for 10, 15, or 20 years?” ADW Capital managing member Adam Wyden wrote in its letter. “Is this the type of behavior that engenders goodwill with future public market investors? It is not lost on us that Roark is focused on preparing Inspired Brands to go public and that other large assets like Subway will eventually need to find their way into passive liquid markets as well.

“We ask both Roark and the (c)ompany, is this how public minority investors should expect to be treated by Roark controlled entities in the future?”

ADW Capital requested that representatives of Driven Brands meet with the firm by May 15 to discuss the proposal.

Valvoline Partners with Ronald McDonald House Global on Children’s Mental Health Initiative

Valvoline announced that it has committed $750,000 over three years to support mental health initiatives as a Ronald McDonald House Global corporate partner.

In the first year of the partnership, Valvoline will provide $25,000 to 10 Ronald McDonald House chapters to support psychosocial and behavioral health programming, including age‑appropriate emotional support, sibling programming, crisis‑intervention training, caregiver support, structured counseling, and trauma‑informed care.

"When a child is facing medical treatment, the whole family feels it, and mental health support can be just as essential as physical care,” Valvoline President and CEO Lori Flees said in a statement. “Through this partnership, we’re helping expand services that strengthen resilience, reduce stress, and support families when they need it most."

Through the end of May, Valvoline Instant Oil Change service center teams in select markets engaged customers through a point-of-sale fundraising campaign. The partnership will also enable VIOC employees to volunteer with their local Ronald McDonald House chapter.

The partnership with Ronald McDonald House Global is part of Valvoline’s Happy to Help community impact work, which focuses on supporting children’s mental health and their mental well-being.

Take 5 Continues National Expansion

Take 5 Oil Change's expansion is continuing, as the company recently announced the opening of the following new locations:

• 1726 Verdad St., in Green Cove Springs, Florida, sitting along a key commuter route in Clay County.
• 4505 South Preston Rd. in Celina, Texas.
• 320 NE Route 291 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. The facility, locally owned and operated by T5KC LLC, is Take 5’s seventh location overall in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
• 1962 LPGA Blvd. in Daytona Beach, Florida.
• 105 Clarence F. Warner Dr. in Monroe, Ohio.
• 5620 S. Soncy St. in Amarillo, Texas.

Each of the new shops features three bays and will offer $25 toward any oil change for a limited time. Including company-owned and franchised service centers, Take 5 now has about 1,300 locations nationwide. The company is part of the Driven Brands portfolio.

Express Oil Change Tops Quick Lube Segment of JD Power Customer Satisfaction Index

For the fourth consecutive year, Express Oil Change and Tire Engineers was top-ranked company in the quick oil change segment of JD Power’s U.S. Aftermarket Service Index Study, which was released on April 28.

Express Oil Change earned a score of 854 in the index, and was followed by Take 5 in second at 833, and Jiffy Lube and Valvoline Instant Oil Change tying for third at 823.

Now in its seventh year, the study measures customer satisfaction with aftermarket service facilities, divided into three segments: full-service maintenance and repair, quick oil change, and tire replacement. Scores are based on seven factors related to the vehicle owner service experience. The 2026 study’s results are based on responses from 10,572 vehicle owners, who were surveyed online from January to March.

Of the three segments tracked, quick lube was the only one to see an overall increase in customer satisfaction, with a 4-point increase on a 1,000-point scale. Full-service maintenance and repair (minus-7) and tire replacement (minus-3) both saw declines.

“Affordability is playing an increasingly important role in the aftermarket service experience, but delivering on the fundamentals remains critical,” Lisa Nguyen, manager of OEM Solutions at JD Power, said in a news release. “Index data shows that aftermarket providers are largely executing where it matters most, with the majority of impactful key performance indicators (KPIs) completed more than 70% of the time and the top two—the service advisor being completely focused on customer needs and providing helpful guidance—exceeding 90% completion rates across segments.

Still, Nguyen added, the survey revealed areas for improvement, including facility cleanliness, guest comfort, and consistency in customer engagement, from immediate greetings to post-service follow-up.

Worldpac Joins The Pronto Network to Enhance Aftermarket Support and Growth

Worldpac and The Pronto Network announced a strategic partnership, effective April 1, marking a major shift towards increased cooperation within the independent automotive aftermarket.

The partnership aligns a pair of industry-leading organizations focused on advancing the aftermarket. By joining The Pronto Network, Worldpac brings its long-standing commitment to technical education, OE-quality parts, and enhanced catalog technology, complementing The Pronto Network’s focus on member support, strategic growth, and supply chain collaboration.

"Joining The Pronto Network allows us to align with an organization that shares our vision for innovation and customer success," said John Hamilton, president and CEO of Worldpac. "As the aftermarket continues to evolve with new technologies, vehicle complexities, and changing consumer expectations, we are now better positioned to support customers with shared resources and enhanced capabilities."

Robert Roos, president and CEO of The Pronto Network, said the partnership strengthens both organizations.

"We are proud to welcome Worldpac to The Pronto Network family. Our two organizations bring different strengths to this partnership, and uniting makes us even stronger. Together we will continue to advance solutions that align with our shared vision of empowering members so they thrive in today’s rapidly changing marketplace."

Worldpac and The Pronto Network now turn their attention to expanding industry-leading training programs, enhancing national account offerings, strengthening supplier relationships, creating long-term value for partners, and supporting the broader independent service ecosystem.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Valvoline Achieves Second Consecutive Year in Entrepreneur’s Fastest-Growing Franchises List

Valvoline Inc. was recently recognized in Entrepreneur’s 2026 Fastest-Growing Franchises ranking, as shared in a press release.

The Entrepreneur Fastest-Growing Franchises 2026 ranking highlights the companies that saw the greatest franchise unit growth in the U.S. and Canada from July 2024 to July 2025. The ranking appears in the March/April 2026 issue of Entrepreneur.

This marks the second consecutive year the brand has been recognized, rising to No. 21, up from No. 41 in 2025, and securing the top position in its category on this year’s list.

BendPak Introduces New Two-Post Lift

BendPak recently introduced the APEX AL10C two-post lift in a press release: a new 10,000 lb. car lift for professional shops and home garages.

The APEX AL10C provides the most-popular two-post lift features, including clearfloor design; flexible arm positioning; triple-telescoping front arms and dual-stage rear arms; automatic safety locks; and telescoping screw pads and stackable adapters.

The lift is built with oversized base plates and a heavy-duty large tubular steel carriage to withstand demanding shop environments. This is in addition to a box-beam overhead structure that reinforces the lifting frame to reduce stress on the columns.

It uses a direct-drive hydraulic system with dual full-stroke hydraulic cylinders, with a focus on fewer parts for easy maintenance. It’s equipped with elf-lubricating UHMW polyethylene guide blocks, oversized cable sheaves, and aircraft-quality equalizer cables.

The lift is also built with safety features, including automatic safety locks which engage every three inches throughout the lift range. A padded overhead shutoff bar paired with an industrial-grade limit switch automatically stops the lift if a vehicle is raised too high. Automatic swing arm restraints keep the arms in place, and a full-size rubber carriage guard reduces door dings.

Kia and Genesis Recall Nearly 236K Vehicles Over Fuel Leak Risks

Hyundai Motor Group brands Kia and Genesis have both issued recalls due to improperly installed parts potentially causing fuel leaks. According to Autoblog, the crossover fuel pipes in the vehicles, made by Usui International Korea, are not the issue alone. It’s how they were installed in the vehicles. 

The 2021 to 2026 model year Genesis G90, G80, GV80, and GV70 are included in the recall, making up 94,760 units. For these vehicles, an insufficient amount of torque stabilizer was used during assembly. This can cause its connection with the fasteners, which secure it to the engine, to become loose, leading to leaks.

141,032 Kia Carnivals from model years 2022 to 2026 are also recalled. The issue with these vehicles is fuel pipe nuts not being tightened consistently at the factory, leading to a loose connection over time and then potentially leaks.

An investigation into parts and production records were reviewed began upon reports of fuel smell. For drivers experiencing the issue, they may smell fuel or see warning lights before the issue escalates. Anyone who smells fuel should park outside and avoid driving.

Recalled vehicles will have their crossover fuel pipe and its fasteners inspected. If they’re in good condition, technicians will retighten the fasteners; but any sign of a leak will lead to the pipe being replaced.