The Wills Group

What The Wills Group does

The Wills Group is a privately held, family-owned consumer services company headquartered in La Plata, Maryland, founded in 1926. It operates three integrated business lines through wholly owned subsidiaries: Dash In, a convenience store chain focused on elevated fresh food and 'foodvenience' retail; Splash In ECO Car Wash, an environmentally conscious car wash brand featuring water-recycling systems and membership programs; and SMO Motor Fuels, one of the Mid-Atlantic's largest independent fuel distributors serving more than 300 locations, including sites operated under national fuel brand partnerships such as Texaco (held since 1927). The company also operates SMO Energy, formed in 2010 by combining Southern Maryland Oil and Delmarva Oil, providing heating oil and energy services.

The business generates revenue primarily through transactional retail sales across its network — convenience store merchandise and food sales, per-vehicle car wash transactions (including recurring memberships), and wholesale/retail fuel distribution. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through company-owned physical storefronts concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas region, supplemented by digital channels including branded websites, mobile apps, loyalty/rewards programs, email, and SMS marketing. Customer relationships are horizontal, targeting individual commuters and regional consumers seeking convenient access to food, fuel, and car care; community organizations are served through philanthropic grants rather than commercial contracts. There is no publicly disclosed revenue, pricing tiers, or SaaS-like recurring-contract revenue model.

Wills Group has been led by four generations of the Wills family and currently operates under President and Chairman Julian 'Blackie' Wills III. Recent strategic activity has emphasized geographic expansion (first North Carolina store opened in 2026) and bolt-on acquisitions (Blue Hen Car Wash in 2022), while the underlying business remains a regional, capital-intensive physical-retail operation with no disclosed AI, software, or technology-platform initiatives beyond standard consumer-facing digital tooling.

Name

The Wills Group

Legal name

The Wills Group Inc.

Website

https://willsgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Wills Group is a family-owned, private consumer services company operating Dash In convenience stores, Splash In ECO Car Wash, and SMO Motor Fuels across 300+ locations in the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas, serving individual commuters and regional consumers with food, fuel, and car wash services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convenience Retail and Fuel Distribution

NAICS

Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (457110), Fuel Dealers (45721)

SIC

Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500), Wholesale-Petroleum & Petroleum Products (No Bulk Stations) (5172)

akta.pro primary industry

Fuel Stations with Convenience Retail (Forecourt C-Stores) (CRANAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Non-Fuel Retail & Ancillary Forecourt Services (Car Wash, Auto Care, ATM/Lottery, Parcel Lockers) (EUALAIAJ)

Keywords

• Convenience retail services
• Fuel distribution services
• Car wash services
• Foodservice retail
• Convenience store operations

Headquarters

HQ city

La Plata

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Convenience Store Retail (Dash In): Revenue from sales of fresh food, handcrafted sandwiches, snacks, everyday essentials, and convenience items at Dash In convenience stores across the Mid-Atlantic region
2. Car Wash Services (Splash In ECO Car Wash): Revenue from car wash services and membership options at Splash In ECO Car Wash locations, offering fast, high-quality, environmentally conscious car washes
3. Fuel Distribution (SMO Motor Fuels): Revenue from fuel distribution across 300+ locations as one of the Mid-Atlantic's largest independent fuel distributors, with partnerships including major national fuel brands

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Wills Group operates three wholly-owned consumer-facing brands across 300+ locations in the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas: Dash In convenience stores offering fresh food, handcrafted sandwiches, snacks, and everyday essentials; Splash In ECO Car Wash providing environmentally conscious car wash services with water-recycling systems and membership options; and SMO Motor Fuels, one of the Mid-Atlantic's largest independent fuel distributors serving more than 300 locations with partnerships including major national fuel brands.

Product overview

The Wills Group operates as a multi-brand convenience retail company offering three distinct but complementary product lines: Dash In (convenience stores with fresh foodservice), Splash In ECO Car Wash (environmentally conscious car wash services), and SMO Motor Fuels (fuel distribution). The brands serve customers across the Mid-Atlantic region through 300+ locations, providing convenience, foodservice, car care, and fuel services under a unified corporate umbrella focused on keeping lives in motion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dash In: Convenience stores offering fresh, flavorful food, modern stores, handcrafted sandwiches, snacks, and everyday essentials.
• Splash In ECO Car Wash
• SMO Motor Fuels
• SMO Energy

Products and services

• Dash In Convenience Stores Company-owned convenience store brand offering fresh, flavorful food, handcrafted sandwiches, snacks, and everyday essentials with an elevated foodvenience experience for consumers across the Mid-Atlantic region.
• Splash In ECO Car Wash Environmentally conscious car wash service featuring innovative water-recycling systems and membership options, delivering fast, high-quality vehicle cleaning for consumers across the region.
• SMO Motor Fuels One of the Mid-Atlantic's largest independent fuel distributors serving more than 300 locations across the region, with partnerships including major national fuel brands to provide reliable fuel access to consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served the Mid-Atlantic through 300+ locations across the region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Second Harvest Food Bank of MetrolinaminorOthers · 1 January 2025Wills Group provided a $50,000 grant to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina for Hurricane Helene relief efforts in North Carolina as part of the company's expansion into the state in 2026.
• Chesapeake CharitiescoreOthers · 1 January 2016The Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund is a component fund within Chesapeake Charities, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Created in 2016 to honor Wills Group President Julian Blacklock 'Blackie' Wills and his commitment to giving back to local communities.
• Texaco (partnership for fuel distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSince 1927, SMO has maintained a partnership with Texaco, securing the Texaco franchise for Southern Maryland. The company was also the first to distribute Texaco Havoline motor oil in the region.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wawa: Family-built, privately held convenience-store and fuel retailer operating company-owned stores with a strong fresh-food orientation and integrated fuel offering; directly comparable to Wills Group on multi-site fuel-plus-food model and on East Coast/Northeast regional concentration.
• Sheetz: Family-owned convenience-store and fuel chain that pioneered fresh food in c-stores and operates its own proprietary fuel-and-food sites; directly comparable to Wills Group in customer format, integrated foodservice, and Mid-Atlantic operating geography.
• Royal Farms: Mid-Atlantic fuel-and-convenience chain operating company-owned stores with a strong chicken-led foodservice and integrated fuel offering; directly comparable to Wills Group on regional concentration and the same fuel-plus-food-plus-car-wash integrated playbook.

Broad incumbents

• 7-Eleven: Largest global convenience retailer with integrated fuel at many U.S. sites; overlaps with Wills Group on c-store format and fuel positioning but operates at vastly greater scale and as a broad incumbent rather than a regional specialist.
• Couche-Tard (Circle K): Canadian-headquartered global c-store and fuel retailer operating the Circle K banner; broadly comparable to Wills Group through its North American fuel-and-convenience footprint, but competes at corporate scale well above Wills Group.
• QuikTrip: Large privately held U.S. convenience-store and fuel chain operating company-owned stores integrated with fuel; overlaps with Wills Group on privately held, integrated-store model but is a multi-region incumbent rather than a Mid-Atlantic specialist.
• RaceTrac: Large privately held U.S. convenience-store and fuel retailer with a flagship, fresh-food-led store concept; broadly comparable to Wills Group's Dash In model on format and family/privately held ownership, but operates across a much larger geography.
• Take 5 Car Wash: Large express-exterior car-wash chain (part of Driven Brands) offering membership-based washes; directly comparable to Splash In ECO Car Wash on membership model and U.S. footprint, with significantly larger scale and brand breadth.

Emerging players

• ZIPS Car Wash: Express-exterior car-wash brand rapidly expanding through greenfield and M&A with unlimited-membership programs; directly overlaps with Splash In on the express, water-recycling, membership-wash model, but at a much faster expansion cadence.

Regional players

• Kwik Trip: Privately held Midwestern U.S. convenience-and-fuel chain operating its own c-store-plus-fuel sites; comparable to Wills Group on integrated format and privately held ownership but serves a different core geography, so it does not directly compete in the Mid-Atlantic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-wills-group-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wills Group