Using your Space
How much space is needed to operate a retail laundry and dry cleaner?
First determine the services you wish to offer, then work out how much space you will require to cater for those.
There is no ‘prescribed’ minimum space for a laundry and dry cleaning business. You will need to first determine the services you wish to offer, then work out how much space you will require to cater for those.
For example:
- If you wish to offer ironing as a service, you must calculate how many employees you are likely to have at any one time, and how much space they will require. Where will the clothing bundles be stored?
- Will you offer coin-operated machines and if so how many? What are the sizes of these machines?
- Will you offer a seating area for customers who wish to wait for their washing?
- Do you intend you having vending machines in store? These take additional floor space
- Where will you conduct the management of the business – the space you will manage the books and overall management? How big will this office be?
- Also, consider potential for future growth
What to look out for when buying an existing laundry business?
Six issues to consider before buying a laundry going concern.
If you are considering buying an existing business there are various issues you must look into:
- The books must be right, remember a laundry is a cash business
- Check warranties and the service history of the machines carefully
- How well known is the laundry and how good was the previous reputation of the Laundromat
- How strong is the existing customer base?
- Is there scope to attract more customers?
- Screen the staff who work at the laundry and make sure you are happy with them because good staff makes a business successful and bad staff will destroy it. After all a Laundromat is a service industry and if service and good work are not offered, customers will quickly move to a laundry that does offer excellent service
How to start a laundry business from a retail centre
Like things neat and clean? Then starting a coin-operated laundry might be your ticket to entrepreneurial success.
Internationally, the coin operated laundry industry has undergone a revolution. No longer are dingy, unsafe, boring places that customers must endure on a weekly basis, laundromats becoming fun and attractive multiservice centres that customers enjoy visiting.
“You don’t need experience, but you need training in order to operate machines and keep them running at their best”, explains Tracey Lehmbeck, who has worked in the laundry industry for the last ten years.
She is a sales consultant for Lead Laundry & Catering a large suppler of commercial and industrial laundry equipment and has her own laundry in Northwold, Johannesburg.
Newer laundries are located close to coffee shops or supermarkets. Some offer a service where customers can leave laundry which is washed and ironed and pick up dry cleaning.
Many laundry owners also employ full time staff to keep an eye on the shop, help customers use the equipment and do ironing.