Location, location, location.!
While vended laundries are found in virtually all types of neighborhoods, many experienced people in the business seek areas with high concentrations of rental properties and apartments. Neighborhoods with many rental households seem to perform best and with the least amount of uncertainty when considering the location and planning of a new laundromat. In places where rental property is in development, increasing in number from demographic shifts or growing in size from population increase, new opportunities for our business model exist.
Since clean laundry is a basic necessity of life, laundromats have a place in other communities as well. Trailer parks, tourist areas, neighborhoods with very old homes not equipped with laundry equipment connections and areas near large campgrounds are a few other places of interest. People usually think of laundromats as being found only in low income areas but nearly everyone has large bedding pieces to launder, a broke down home washer at some point or have found that with laundry from a family of four, it is just quicker and easier to go to the laundromat. With mobile technology and a growing creativity in mobile applications, some are finding new ways to expand customer bases for wash-dry-fold service and other contract work that takes advantage of the large commercial laundry equipment found in a self serve laundry. This is why maybe the wealthiest neighborhoods are not necessarily a target market for our business model but other demographics do also work.
Laundromat site evaluation does include demographic analysis for making a forecast of potential available business based on the existing population. However, many other important facets of a location effect success. Among other things in a particular area, we as laundry experts look at available or growing retail businesses, property visibility, ease of access, parking and the presence & condition of existing laundromat competition. Other laundromats nearby may or may not be reason to abandon a location; it may mean just that this is the right part of town for laundromat businesses.
If you have a location that you think would be good for a vended laundry, call us and we will give you a free evaluation of the site. If you are looking for a suitable site for a new laundromat, we can help with that as well.
