Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
com
The Coin
Laundry Insider
There are 40-year old Wascomats
working in laundries today!
Nows the perfect time to open a new laundry or
replace old equipment with a brand the laundry
industry has relied on for more than half a century.
Wascomats are designed for long life, quality, and
BIG energy and water savings!
The most complete product line in the
professional laundry industry
Wascomats are available in sizes for every laundry
need, from 20 to 135 lb. capacity. With the popu-
lar Compass Control and 100 G-force extraction,
Wascomats get the job done day-in and day-out
with reliability you can depend on. Our Crossover
washer is a direct replacement for appliance-
type top loaders and front loaders, with a built-in
pump and heavy duty construction. It is Energy
Star rated, CEE Tier 3 qualified, and ADA com-
pliant so it qualifies for a tax credit (IRS 44).
*
Call to learn more about financing and marketing
support. Well help you grow your business!
. 4. 11 | afez| aaa6r | ax. cem
www. | aaa6r | ax. cem
Was c oma t whe n l aundr y me ans bus i ne s s .
In a class by itself
Great Value
Large Capacity
Durable
elied on f y has r industr
e old equipmen eplac r
ec f s the per w No
ing in laundries t ork w
e 40-y e ar her T
tur en e than half a c or mor elied on f
and the laundr t with a br e old equipmen
y or o open a new laundr t time t ec
y! oda ing in laundries t
ascoma W ear old e 40-y
y tur
y and the laundr
y or
ts ascoma
y y eliabilit with r
ts get the job done da oma asc W
on ompass C lar C
o 135 lb om 20 t , fr need
e a ts ar oma asc W
essional offessional laundr pr
he most complet T
gy and w BIG ener
e desig ts ar oma asc W
elied on f y has r industr
v osso r ur C ou can depend on. O y y
out - y -in and da y ts get the job done da
tion, ac tr x e e c or ol and 100 G-f tr on
ith the popu- W . y . capacit o 135 lb
y laundr er or ev es f ailable in siz v e a
y y industr essional laundr
t line in the oduc e pr he most complet
vings! er sa t a gy and w
, a yy, and , qualit e or long lif ned f e desig
tur en e than half a c or mor elied on f
suppor
l o tto ll t lll aal CCa
er v
out
tion,
ith the popu-
y y laundr
, and
. y tur
our b w yyour business! o ou grro ll help y you gr e . WWe tt. W suppor
and ing financcing about e rre o m n rrn aar e lle
our business!
eting mark keting and
t so it qualifies f plian
T , CEE ed t a tar r S
v pump and hea
op loaders and fr ype t t
ec asher is a dir w
y y eliabilit with r
o onsult with y your tax advisor f o c e t e surre t *B
*
edit (IRS 44). or a tax cr t so it qualifies f
om- A c , and AD ier 3 qualified T
gy t is Ener tion. I onstruc y c y dut v
-in , with a built t loaders on op loaders and fr
- e or applianc t f emen eplac t r ec
v osso r ur C ou can depend on. O y y
tion. ma or rma e inffor or morre inf our tax advisor f for mor
4 .
gy
-in
er v
oma c as W
e c . x a | r 6 a a a | . w w w
6 a a a | z e f a | 1 1 .
y me ans bus i ne s s t whe n l aundr oma
m e
m e c . x a | r 6
. y me ans bus i ne s s
1
The term coin laundry is dened as commercial-
grade, self-service laundry equipment placed
into service in a retail space. Coin laundries
generally occupy the retail space on long-term
leases (10-25 years) and generate steady cash
flow over the life of the lease. Coin laundries
are unique small businesses in that they have
no inventory or receivables.
The coin laundry industry is approximately
70 years old and is primarily composed of
individual owner/operators. No significant
franchises are in operation at this time. Currently,
there are about 35,000 coin laundries in the
United States, generating nearly $5 billion in
gross revenue annually. Clean clothes, like food
and shelter, are considered a necessity of life
and coin laundries provide a basic health service
for millions of Americans. While laundries are
found in virtually all neighborhoods across the
country, stores seem to perform exceptionally
well in predominately renter-occupied, densely
populated areas. These areas are increasing in
number with each year throughout the country.
The intense population growth, coupled with
the expansion of rental housing, has increased
the customer base for coin laundries.
Todays coin laundry industry is a strong and
vibrant one. Even more appealing is the fact
that this dependable public service industry
continues to grow and thrive. The demographic
trends toward an even greater apartment
dwelling segment of the population predict
continued prosperity.
Before investing in the industry, successful
laundry owners take the time to adequately
research each phase of ownership. This guide
provides great insight on the first steps of
evaluation. For a more comprehensive view,
we invite you to join the industrys only not-for-
profit trade association, the Coin Laundry
Association. As a member, you will have full
access to archived articles, best practices and
other members who can share whats worked for
them and what hasnt. Once youve reviewed
the full list of benets on page 20, you can join
online at www.coinlaundry.org or by calling
800-570-5629.
Brian Wallace
The Coin
Laundry
Industry
coinlaundry.org (800) 570-5629
2
Renters vs. Owners
Clearly, you need to look for a decent
percentage of apartment dwellers and home
renters in your market area. Often, these
folks may not have access to washers and
dryers in their households, and may not have
adequate laundry facilities in their buildings.
Renters will always be prime self-service
laundry customers.
Population Density
(Number of Households)
The denser the local population, the better
the market for a coin laundry. Dense, urban
areas tend to feature a lot of the character-
istics consistent with coin laundry success
and profitability.
Persons Per Household
(Number of Children Per Family)
This is a no-brainer. More families mean
more laundry. By the same token, families
with two or more children create lots and lots
of dirty clothes, thus making them rst-class
coin laundry customers. In addition, this
particular stat can help you determine the
types of machines you have.
Average Income
As a rule, coin laundry customers tend to have
household incomes in the low-to-moderate
range, which is consistent with the fact that
they are also typically renters who dont own
washers and dryers.
However, dont completely ignore the
rest of your market. Several laundries in
middle-to upper-middle-class areas can do
a large amount of wash-dry-fold business.
Population Age
Typically, the younger the population, the
more coin laundry customers youre likely
to attract.
Ethnic Mix
The design of your store, the dcor, the
equipment mix and the language used in your
coin laundry (as well as your promotional
literature) will be greatly influenced by the
ethnic background of the local population.
Knowing the ethnicity of the majority of
your customers also can inuence seemingly
minor things, such as the kind of soap you
carry or the brand of soda and snacks in your
vending machines. These are little things
than can go a long way toward customer
satisfaction and loyalty.
Employment Profile
What is the ratio of blue-collar workers to
white-collar workers in the market area?
After all, blue-collar workers tend to be good
coin laundry customers. On the other hand,
knowing that your marketplace has a strong
percentage of white-collar workers can help
you plan to possibly offer additional amenities,
such as wash-dry-fold and drycleaning
services that may not typically appeal to
blue-collar workers, but would no doubt be
of value to many white-collar types.
When studying the demographics for your marketplace, you need to look for some basic characteristics
among the population there that are common to solid coin laundry customer prospects. Heres a basic
list of characteristics to look for in your area to determine whether or not it is a good market for a self-
service laundry:
Market Demographics: Winning the Numbers Game
Demographic
Reports
Before you buy or build, a
demographic report is a must.
Laundry Research Members
receive 5 FREEdemographic
reports.
................................................
Join at
coinlaundry.org/membership
Demographics
coinlaundry.org (800) 570-5629
4
Traffic Patterns/Frequency
When evaluating your laundry site, the volume of traffic
that goes past your store (or prospective store) is paramount.
The more trafc the better. Also, consider the posted speed
limits; difficulty of ingress and egress; visibility of the store
from the road and time-of-day traffic patterns.
Gender
(Heads of Households)
Although the long-standing pattern has shifted somewhat
dramatically in recent years, there are still more women
patronizing coin laundries than men. Furthermore, families
with female heads of households have proven to be excellent
coin laundry customers.
Clearly, the stronger locations for coin laundries will have
populations that boast many of the characteristics just
mentioned, especially in combination. For example, you may nd
a market area with a large percentage of apartment dwellers
with children, whose income is in the low-to-moderate range.
But be careful, as with most things, there are exceptions
to the rule. And there are certainly exceptions to the types
of good coin laundry neighborhoods just described. For
example, areas that feature colleges and universities are
typically great coin laundry markets. The same can be said
for resort areas, mobile and trailer home parks, and
campground areas.
Any coin laundry veteran will tell you that the nal decision
is based on a feel for the area and the particular customers
in that neighborhood. But they will also explain the
importance of reviewing all of the information available
to you.
Once youve been in the business long enough, you will
get that feeling, too. However, never stray too far from
the basics: study demographic data, talk with other coin
laundry owners in your area and communicate with your
customers as much as possible.
Those customers are the lifeblood of your laundry business.
Demographics
STATS THAT DRIVE
YOUR BUSINESS
CLAS INDUSTRY SURVEY
Average Rent per Square Foot
Vend Prices
Drop-o per Pound Charge
Gross Revenue Spent on Utilities
Answers to these topics are included in the 2012 Industry Survey.
The survey is FREE for CLA members.
Not a member? Order a survey for $99 at coinlaundry.org today.
Get Unbiased Research
What is the average monthly rent? Per
square foot? As a percentage of gross
revenue? Laundry Research
Members can nd the answers to
these questions and more in the annual
Industry Survey.
..............................................................
Join at coinlaundry.org/membership
ExpressWash Washer-Extractors 20- to 90-pound capacities ExpressDry Drying Tumblers 30-, 55- & 75-pound single pocket capacities;
30- & 45-pound dual pocket capacities
www.cont|nento|g|rbou.com - [800} 25-1073
Not Your Typical Laundry
V|ew our grow|ng ||st o| sot|s0ed users ot www.cont|nento|g|rbou.comJex|c
* The actual results that your company and customers experience may vary from these projections. For a copy of the calculations & assumptions used in this example please contact Continental Girbau.
The Express Laundry Center
package is a complete store solution for new self-service laundries or full-store rehabs. Available only through
Continental Girbau, the Express Laundry Center package brings together Continental High-Speed ExpressWash and ExpressDry equipment,
unique store services, marketing support, store training and a factory warranty to deliver a turnkey solution like no other!
Contoct us todoy |or ||xed ond vor|ob|e rote ||nonc|ngI
By choosing a Continental Girbau
Express Loundry Center
over o
trod|t|ono| hord-mount wosher store,
o 3,500-squore-|oot |oundry con sove
on est|moted $40,740 per yeor |n ut|||ty
costs o|one*I
Not Your Typical Laundry
Not Your Typical Laundry
Not Your Typical Laundry
C d L E
By choosing a Continental Girbau
t C
By choosing a Continental Girbau
I * e n o | o s t s o c
7 , 0 4 $ d e t o m | t s e n o
o o | - e r o u q s - 0 0 5 , 3 o
m - d r o h | o n o | t | d o r t
C y r d n u o L s s e r p x E
y t | | | t u n | r o e y r e p 0 4 7
e v o s n o c y rr d n u o | t o
, e r o t s r e h s o w t n u o
o r e v o
r e t n e C
o d o t s u t c o t n o C
e services, marketing support, stor unique stor
Continental Girbau, the Expr
ess Laundry Center The Expr
e | b o | r o v d n o d e x | | r o | y o
e training and a factory warranty to deliver a tur e services, marketing support, stor
ess Laundry Center package brings together Continental High-Speed Expr Continental Girbau, the Expr
package is a complete stor