Ready to expand your laundromat business? Read our advice first!

Calling all laundry entrepreneurs! If you’re looking to expand your business and run multiple laundromats, you’ve come to the right place. 

Once you’ve established a profitable laundromat, opening up more locations in your town or region is an excellent idea! It’s a great way to raise profits and continue promoting your brand. However, running multiple businesses is a lot of work and often comes with some unforeseen extra work. 

At Coronet Equipment, we have years of experience supplying quality equipment to laundry facilities. Along the way, we have picked up some great tips on how to make managing a laundry empire a little easier. 

Location, Location, Location!

If your existing laundromat is a success, you probably already know that nothing is more important than choosing the right location. Do some thorough research and find areas with heavy traffic and a lack of existing laundromat facilities. Look for neighbourhoods with a mix of residential and commercial properties, as they offer a broader customer base. Choosing the right location will bring you tons of customers without having to do excessive marketing. 

Staffing and Customer Service

Your staff can make or break your laundromats, especially when you are venturing out into multiple locations. You’ll need to rely on staff when you can’t be present, so make sure they’re reliable and can handle day-to-day operations. These include addressing customer concerns, ensuring payments are being made, and keeping the place clean. Your staff should also be able to troubleshoot equipment issues and determine if further action needs to be taken. Ask us about our training options!

Excellent customer service is also vitally important. Train your staff to be friendly, attentive, and responsive to customer needs. Provide clear signage, easy-to-understand instructions, and comfortable waiting areas. Regularly seek feedback from customers and implement improvements based on their suggestions. Remember, happy customers are more likely to recommend your laundromats to others and to leave you positive reviews online, which have a direct impact on your business’ success.

Efficient Equipment and Maintenance

We’re obviously passionate about great laundry equipment. And having reliable, quality machinery has endless benefits, like less frequent maintenance and repairs. You also won’t have to worry about constantly addressing issues with faulty equipment at various locations. 

Another benefit to investing in high-quality machines is lower operating costs. Many business owners are surprised by how much operating costs rise when they open an additional location. Investing in machines that use fewer resources can be a larger upfront cost, but it will save you money in the long run by reducing energy expenses and water usage. 

Remember, satisfied customers rely on well-maintained and properly functioning equipment to get their laundry done quickly and effectively, so investing early can make a big difference in your long term success.

Streamlined Operations

Multiple locations mean more revenue and opportunity, but this comes at the price of more work! Where you can, try to streamline your operations. Look into software that could help you to centralise and save information about revenue, business costs, payroll expenses, and even statistics on machine repairs. Streamlined operations will help you keep a watchful eye on various locations. You’ll be able to easily identify where you are doing well and where there may be some inefficiencies. 

Marketing and Networking

Laundromats are one of those businesses that tend to sell themselves. Everyone needs to do their laundry or utilise the large machines for items their residential washers and dryers cannot handle. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t implement some marketing strategies, especially when you decide to open numerous locations. 

Your locations should all have similar branding. This way, they’ll be easily identifiable to your customers. Positive reviews for one location will transfer to another location and improve your success rate. Consider building a website and offering incentives like rewards programs, discounts, and promotions to encourage repeat business and loyalty. 

Another way to encourage customer loyalty and satisfaction is by collaborating with other local businesses. Is one of your locations next to a coffee shop? Consider collaborating with them to offer discount prices on laundry to cafe customers and vice versa. You could offer pick-up and delivery services to nearby hotels, hospitals, or retirement homes. Establish relationships with dry cleaners, tailors, or alteration services to provide comprehensive laundry solutions to your customers. Networking within your community and industry can also provide valuable insights and opportunities for growth.

Deciding to take the leap into operating multiple laundromats is an effective business strategy and an exciting new venture! With the right management, staff, and equipment, you will be able to run a profitable business and continue to build a loyal customer base. Remember to focus on prime locations, maintain efficient operations, and provide exceptional customer service. 

If you are a laundromat operator in the Edmonton area, Coronet Equipment can offer high quality machines and repair services! We’ll help you start your new locations off on the right foot.