What is the ideal place for a laundry?

In recent years, laundries have had to reinvent themselves to adapt to an ever-changing society. 

This is nothing new: in many countries, self-service laundries and home laundry pick-up and delivery services have been booming for years. They serve as are an alternative for people who don't have a washing machine at home, prefer a more professional finish or simply do not have the time.

These businesses usually offer cleaning, ironing and drying services.

Some of the benefits are:

• Extended opening hours.
• Professional washing machines and systems.
• Saves times.
• Saves money. 

In the case of Mr Jeff, we are determined to revolutionize this sector: in a couple of clicks, we pick up, wash, iron and deliver your clothes, without you ever having to leave your home.

Choosing a location for your laundry

To open a laundry, you need to ask for the required licenses and have a location.

These requirements are  less demanding than those for opening a dry cleaner's, where chemical products are handled and it’s required to register as a small producer of toxic waste.

The question is, where should I put a laundry to get maximum profits and retain more customers? What type of premises do I need? Let’s see!

Minimum space for your laundry

Setting up a laundry does not require a large establishment. 

In fact, the average rental of premises to set up a laundry is 30 m², enough space to install a couple of industrial washing machines and dryers. 

It is also convenient to have a counter, a space where customers can wait or sit and an area for folding clothes. 

In the case of Mr Jeff's premises, they must have, at least, 40-45 m² distributed on a single floor. 

Of these, about 10 m² are for the customer area and the rest for the operations area, where the machines will be located and orders will be processed.  

To give you a clearer idea, a Mr Jeff location is organized as follows: 

Customer area:

• 2 chairs for customers
• Counter
• Shelf for finished orders (next to be delivered)

Operations area:

• Tagged area
• Washing area
• Drying area
• Ironing area
• Packaging area
• Warehouse (to store upcoming orders and products for daily use)

Location, area, or neighborhood

Many entrepreneurs wonder where the best place to put a laundry is.  

Any neighborhood is potentially suitable. It's true that it's convenient to know the area to adapt to people's schedules and to detect possible "professional" customers, such as bars and restaurants. 

The neighborhood being more or less central, or for it being more or less populated isn’t necessarily the most important factor.  

Obviously, at Mr Jeff we analyze which stores have the most potential and we advise entrepreneurs accordingly, but we keep in mind that our business model is both online and offline. 

How does this influence the choice of a location to open a laundry franchise? 

It gives us much more scope, since the radius of action of an online business is always greater than that of an offline one.  In addition, today virtually anyone could need Mr. Jeff's services. 

At first glance, it may seem that in a neighborhood with a higher per capita income, the profitability of a home laundry will be higher. But the truth is that often in these areas more delicate clothes are taken to the dry cleaners, while in a middle-income neighborhood you may find customers who demand more varied services (washing, ironing, etc.).

Equipment required to open a laundry

Washing machines

The type of washer will depend on the type of laundry you want to set up. For example, at Mr Jeff we do not work with large industrial machines, as we do not consider ourselves an industrial laundry. Our washing machines are Wet-Cleaning to be able to process delicate clothes, like dry cleaners do. 

Besides, it’s important for machines to be  efficient(they use little water and electricity), and that they allow clothes to be washed quickly.

Dryers

They are important in laundries, as they can speed up the work process. 

At Mr Jeff we use a ventilation system, instead of condensation, to make the process faster. In addition, we incorporate dryers with a humidity control system to avoid damaging the clothes.

Ironing area

All laundries need an ironing center. They allow for the ironing of large quantities of clothes, achieving a perfect finish.

Other equipment

To open a laundry, ironers (independent ironing equipment, where the linen is pressed through metal rollers) and accessories such as trolleys, racks, shelves, etc. may be necessary.

Personnel required to set up a laundry

At Mr Jeff we adapt to each market, understanding the demands of our users and looking for the simplest operations. 

Thanks to Jeff's App it is possible to select what you want to wash individually, choose a weekly laundry plan, choose the time of delivery and collection, or make payments in a simple way, which facilitates the management of the business and the work of the workers. 

In principle, the number of staff will depend on the size of the premises, the services offered and the number of customers.

On average, Mr Jeff stores have between 1 and 4 employees. In other traditional laundries, it depends on the business model. For example, the self-service ones do not need personnel.

Jeff's recommendations for choosing a location for your laundromat

Mr Jeff's laundries are located on the first floor, at street level, and are easily accessible to customers.

The general recommendation is that they be located in areas with good pedestrian traffic, where they can be licensed for operation and where three-phase power can be provided. 

Another interesting aspect, and this is what we let the entrepreneurs know, is that we can put our corporate sign to complete the brand image in the premises.

Finally, although it is not mandatory to have a garage for delivery vehicles, we recommend that the premises of our laundries are close to loading and unloading areas.

Why? Because Mr Jeff's business model establishes an increase in delivery over traditional laundry or dry cleaning. 

Do you want to open your own laundry? At Mr Jeff, we’re looking for entrepreneurs who want to manage their own laundry business with home delivery service. Don’t think twice and get the information.