1.1 Definition and presentation

The laundromat (or self-service laundry) market is part of the wider laundromat retail market.

A self-service laundry consists of making washing machines and dryers available to the public for occasional use for a fee per kilo or per piece. A distinction is therefore made between coin-operated laundry and dry-cleaning, the latter is a service provided by individuals where one or more persons carry out dry-cleaning and/or ironing of clothes. Unlike dry-cleaning, in a laundromat, it is sometimes possible to offer alternative services to wait until the end of the wash, such as an Internet café or snack area.

Self-service laundries have had a boom in some parts of the world, but are not uniformly popular, as their spread is closely related to demographic and social factors. In Italy, in fact, the activity originally did not find solid ground, due to low demand - a large majority of Italians own a washing machine at home. Recently, however, with the rapid transformations of Italian society, also dictated by the growing tourism of foreigners and students away from home, self-service laundries are rapidly transforming the market. Laundries are generally located in the city centers or close to accommodation areas (student residences, campsites, etc.). When integrated into a franchise network, they benefit from the reputation, experience and know-how (administrative, commercial, technical and maintenance) of this network.

1.2 The global market

In **** the global dry-cleaning and laundry service market was estimated to be worth *** billion dollars. It has been growing healthily for years, increasing at a CAGR (***) of *.*% since ****. This trend is not only expected to continue but also to increase as this market is predicted to reach a value of *** billion ...

1.3 The Italian market

To avoid constant repetition this study will refer to laundromats also as coin operated laundries and self service laundries.

Assofornitori is the leading Italian association/consortium which brings together all companies that devote their efforts and have their market in the area of washing, ironing, logistics, textile rental and similar activities. ...

1.4 The Impact of COVID-19

Self-service laundries, seem to be among the businesses that have withstood the economic of effects unleashed by the pandemic quite well. Self-service laundries had to rethink and relaunch themselves, not only because of COVID-**.

Long before the pandemic, manufacturers were gearing up to offer new products, such as ozone sanitisation booths ...

2.1 Laundry in Italy and target populations

Laundromats are generally aimed at people who do not have a washing machine or dryer at home. The graph below outlines the presence of various electrodomestic appliances in Italian households.

Presence of electric appliances in households Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

As we can see, most households in Italy have a washing machine, ...

2.2 Target locations and seasonality

As mentioned above, demand revolves strongly around urban centres and targets in particular single-person households, or individuals with reduced financial. Students often fit into both categories and therefore are natural client targets for laundromats.

We can further determine target locations for self service laundries through two methods. First by examining the ...

3.1 Big players and employees

As mentioned above, in Italy there are over **.*** self service laundries which employ **.*** people. A majority of these are 'traditional' laundromats located in cities which are equipped with classic washers and dryers. There are also single price laundromats (***) and industrial laundromats.

Breakdown of laundromats, by type Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

Italy has ...

3.2 Profitability

Below is an outline of the average business plan proposed by * leading self service laundry installation companies.

This business plan hypothesises the opening of a ** square meter laundromat which has * medium sized washing machines with a capacity of *kg, * large washing machines with a capacity of **kg, * large dryers, a dispenser ...

3.3 Opening a laundromat in Italy

Although opening a laundromat does not require a specific diploma, training or certification, the operator will have to ensure not only the regular maintenance of the equipment, but also compliance with the regulations as well as the accounting and management related to the service offered.

According to the Infofranchising, opening a ...

4.1 Example of average pricing

In most cases, several types of washing machines and dryers are available to consumers, with capacities ranging from * to ** kg. The prices of a laundromat thus vary according to the capacity of the washing machines :

Source: ****

4.2 Available equipment

Laundromats are generally equipped with four types of machines:

*. The washing machine

The factors that vary in the choice of a washing machine apart from the size of the drum are noise and space optimisation, especially for residential laundries, and the spin power.

For residential laundries

These machines can operate ...

5.1 Regulations

'Self-service laundries" are defined as businesses where professional water-based washing machines and dryers are used directly by customers after they have purchased the appropriate tokens/coins in relation to the provisions of Legislative Decree No. **, Art. **, paragraph * bis of ** March ****.

The activity of coin-operated laundries, known as self-service laundries, consists of ...