Laundry franchises offer a range of comprehensive commercial laundry services for the hospitality industry, as well as services to busy consumers who need help with their home laundry.
You might be interested in supply washing services for restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, hotels, and commercial businesses, or you might be considering setting up a community launderette or even a dry-cleaning service. Regardless of which sector you choose to serve, there’s never any shortage in customers who need their clothes, bedding, curtains, nets, table cloths, and napkins laundered.
Launderettes are incredibly popular in cities with high student populations or apartment buildings with no access to laundry equipment in their homes. The coin-operated laundry model is a hugely profitable and sustainable business.
The majority of UK laundry businesses offering washing and dry cleaning of fur and textile products have an average turnover of between £100,000 and £249,000 each year; with a significant proportion turning over more than £1m.
If you're hoping to go into business for yourself, it's wise to consider the many benefits of investing in a laundry franchise. Read on to find out how the franchise model might help your business idea get off the ground and thrive.
Franchising
Laundry franchise businesses help industry newcomers carve a niche into an established market, supplying a clear client profile and a history of profitable engagement. When you take on a franchise, you're not just investing in a name (although we'll cover the benefits of that later), you're investing in a reputation of excellence and customer satisfaction.
One of the problems of starting up an independent company in a saturated sector is the difficulty in cutting through the competition. Any new business requires a fairly hefty investment, and the first years of trade demand a hasty recoup to set the company up for longevity. When you take on a laundry franchise, you have access to a supply chain and a client base, with a recognisable brand name that your future clients already know and trust.
Most parent companies provide high-quality training to ensure that franchisees develop an in-depth knowledge of the sector, with the expert skills required to provide world-class service.
But the support package doesn't stop there - your chosen parent company will often help by setting up your admin and HR functionality, ensuring that your business is fully compliant with business- and operational regulations.
Facts About Laundry Franchises
The UK dry-cleaning and general laundry service sectors are worth £2bn each year. There are around 5,300 laundering businesses within the UK, employing almost 42,000 people.
There are plenty of corporate opportunities for laundry franchises, from corporate dry-cleaning to uniform and workwear laundering; even workwear rental.
Dry-cleaning and general laundry franchises frequently offer a range of other cleaning services on top of laundry, including carpet- and rug deodorising, and home-textile sanitation.
Many successful corporate laundry franchises provide linen and uniforms for businesses; collecting dirty items, laundering them in their own premises, and delivering freshly cleaned items back to the customer. This is an exceptionally valued service for companies such as hotels and restaurants who have a high turnover of single-use linen for bedding and table-dressing, etc.
Franchising Vs Independent
Franchise businesses are considered robust because they're built on a proven infrastructure. The business model has demonstrated its market viability and - as such - franchisees of successful businesses make attractive propositions for moneylenders and banks.
Independent companies, however, generally struggle to achieve affordable borrowing rates because they lack a proven business model and the support of an established partner. This elevates the risk in terms of potential return of investment.
Franchise parent companies have demonstrated the sustainability of their business, with a clear history of healthy turnover and profit, placing a franchisee in an enviable position to achieve start-up collateral.
Laundry Franchises
Explore our excellent selection of laundry franchises, and help the UK become squeaky clean, hygienic, and focused on productivity today.
Find your brand new start with Franchise Direct.