Laundromat washing machine: business secrets

A person is less attached to things and more and more appreciates mobility. The ability to receive the desired service at any point of your stay is what is valuable. Laundromats are another step towards comfort and independence from circumstances. These devices will help everyone to quickly solve the problem of dirty laundry.

What are laundromats and why are they needed?

Advances in technology make it easier to get services. Automated systems can completely replace human labor. Now the machines not only do the work, but also play the role of a seller or cashier. This approach to the sale of goods of any nature is called vending. Landromats are one of the incarnations of vending, associated with laundry.

Where to wash clothes?

The market is saturated with automatic washing machines (CMA), and the problem of washing has not yet been 100% solved. And this applies to all countries of the post-Soviet space. It’s not even about the low standard of living, but about the lack of promotion of services widely used in civilized countries. So, for example, public transport can be more profitable than personal, centralized heating is more convenient than individual. There are things that at a particular point in time turn out to be more appropriate in the form of receiving services. Why buy an expensive car when you can go and wash your clothes in the machine?

Under any conditions, a person needs to wash things – clothes, bedding, etc. But not all people live “sedently”, surrounding themselves with comfort and all the necessary equipment. A huge segment of the population lives in dormitories, in rented apartments, has work associated with long business trips. Where do these people wash things? There are several options:

• Take linen to the laundry – there are such enterprises in big cities.
• Buy inexpensive SMA. Or take a semi-automatic – it’s cheaper. But this option is only suitable for people living in rented apartments.
• Go and wash your clothes in laundromats. This is the ideal option, and we’ll talk about it.

Как устроен ландромат?

This is a washing machine that works without human intervention. There is no intermediary between the client and the CMA. Each professional CMA (PSMA) at a self-service enterprise is equipped with its own payment system. The latter includes a replenishment unit with a bill acceptor. The user loads the laundry into the machine, and puts banknotes or coins into the bill acceptor – just as it is done, for example, in coffee machines.

The control unit allows the owner of PSMA:

• Set and change tariffs.
• Monitor your SMA.
• Account and control the contributed funds.

The main clientele of the mini-laundry:

• Students.
• Tenants of rented apartments.
• Travel allowances. There are professions and activities in which you have to live for several weeks in a foreign city.
• People whose washing machine has broken down – it happens that it takes a month or more to repair. Until they order a part, until they bring it, until they deliver it … But you need to wash it.
• Just travel lovers. Some activities, such as freelancing, allow you to change your place of residence. Freelancers can roam from city to city. Today I managed to rent an apartment with household appliances, tomorrow I came across housing without a washing machine, and washing by hand is not an option.
• Businesses wishing to wash overalls for their employees.

Usually, the most “bread” places are chosen for self-service laundries – near student and family dormitories. This is where the main contingent of potential users is located. The service is especially useful for students – this category of consumers is more difficult than others to deal with the issue of dirty laundry.

Self-service laundry equipment

There are enough professional equipment on the market that can be used to open mini laundries. Approximately 20 brands offer suitable PSMAs, including Electrolux, Bosch, Siemens, Miele, BEKO, Maytag. Ordinary household washing machines are not suitable – their operational capabilities will not pull the loads that they will have to experience. And we must proceed from the fact that the machines will have to work a lot, almost continuously.

How is work organized?

The principle of organizing self-service laundries:

• Full automation.
• The client independently starts washing and drying.
• Each machine is equipped with a coin acceptor.
• It is not necessary, but desirable – the presence of machines with different loads. Washing in a large machine is more expensive.
• Powders are sold in special installations.
• Drying is paid separately.

Landromats are extremely popular in the USA and Europe. Basically, that’s where the idea came from. In New York, for example, a cycle in the smallest washing machine costs $3, in a larger car – $5. 6-minute dry – 25 cents.

What devices are needed?

Conventional SMA is designed for only 1500-2000 cycles. If you wash every day – one full cycle, the resource will be depleted in 5-7 years. In the laundry, machines will have to work in a different mode – every day for 5-10 or more cycles, depending on the number of customers. And the more the machine will work, the greater the profit of the project owners. It is clear that the equipment used in self-service enterprises must be unprecedentedly reliable and durable. A home washing machine in laundry mode will last six months – at best.

It makes no sense to use non-professional equipment. She’ll be out of order quickly. And when it gets into the service, they will cancel the “warranty service” due to the merciless operation of the machine, this will be called “commercial use”, for which household AGRs are not intended in any way.

For a self-service enterprise, you will need a Professional (Commercial) class CMA. Such machines are able to work out ten times more than their home counterparts – from 15 to 30 thousand full cycles. The “pros” have another advantage – the speed of the process. An ordinary washing machine spends about two hours on one spin cycle, a professional machine – half as much.

What else should be considered:

• Anti-vandal covers. The behavior of people is sometimes unpredictable, so the owners of PSMA installations sincerely advise their followers to install protective covers on the washers to prevent unauthorized access to the system control panel.
• Дозаторы порошка. The profitability of each portion of the sold powder or conditioner reaches 100-200%. This is a good increase in profits.

Characteristics of the average dispenser:

• Delivery time – from 10 to 20 seconds.
• The minimum dose is 50 g.
• The error is 5–10%.
• The powder is dispensed into the customer’s container.
• Power supply – 220 V, power – 400 watts.

The main problem for an entrepreneur who wants to start a business is buying washing machines. The cost of one PSMA is from 500 to 1000 thousand rubles. That is, the investments are colossal, the risks are large, and the payback is not quick. Business, so popular in the West, does not find much development in Russia. Let’s try to figure out why laundromats have not become widespread in our country and whether this enterprise has prospects.

The high cost of professional CMA forces start-up entrepreneurs to look for less expensive ways. So, for example, craftsmen offer people who want to open their own mini-laundry, a kind of laundromats – they attach household machines to a common control unit with a bill acceptor. It is clear that such an organization of business is at a “primitive stage” and cannot be a reliable source of profit. Moreover, the owner of such “ersatz-landromats” will face many problems – breakdowns, possible vandalism, etc.

Laundromat business plan

Almost any business today can be started through a franchise. Consider first the option of opening an automated laundry from scratch.

Services offered:

• wash;
• drying;
• iron.

Payment:

• is made through a bill acceptor – taking into account the selected mode.

The target audience:

• catering enterprises;
• hotels;
• hairdressing;
• Beauty Salons;
• individuals.

Execution of documents

To open an enterprise, you will need a minimum of documents – it is registered as a small business. Required documents:

• Certificate of registration of an individual enterprise (IP).
• Sanitary station permit.
• Help from the fire department.
• Договор об аренде помещения.

Selection of premises

The room should be spacious and bright. And most importantly, it should be located in a crowded, accessible place – near hostels, hotels, railway stations. There should be about 10 PSMA in the room. For such a number of cars you will need at least 30 square meters. m.

The premises must be located in a non-residential building or at least on a non-residential floor of a residential building. If the room is run down, it will need repairs. In any case, it should be perfectly clean and tidy. During the repair, they immediately make the wiring for the installation of SMA and dryers. The cost of renting a room – from 40, payment of a communal apartment – from 000 rubles.

Purchase of equipment and other expenses

The purchase of equipment is the main item of expenditure. There are several options for accepting payments:

• An automatic device that is responsible for several machines at once.
• Installations with built-in bill acceptors.

The best devices are from Germany, USA, Sweden. There is also a Russian development – “Vyazma”.

When buying PSMA, you should consider:

• Demand and popularity of the brand, reputation and reviews of the purchased equipment.
• Price-quality ratio”.
• Service and warranty service.
• The presence of specialists in the installation and configuration of equipment.

The enterprise will need vending washing machines with different loads – from 3,5 to 8 kg. Costs – from 50 to 000 rubles per unit of equipment. If you purchase 80 pieces, the costs will be 000–10 rubles.

• Drying machines – 40 rubles.
• Ironing equipment – 15 rubles.
• Water filtration system – 10 rubles.
• Consumables – 20 rubles. This refers to detergents – powders and conditioners.

Staff recruitment

The main business partners are washing machines. Laundromats are good because they do not require hiring staff – administrators and other assistants. But you may need specialists to solve technical problems.

There are two options for solving technical issues:

• Hire a maintenance master for the rate – 35 rubles.
• Pay for the work of the master one-time – if something breaks.

Бухгалтерский вопрос решается также двумя путями:

• Hiring a full-time accountant – 25 rubles.
• The use of outsourcing – a remote accountant.

The total cost of opening a case will be 2 rubles. Investments will pay off – under favorable circumstances, at least in 000 years.

Do you need advertising and promotion?

To promote the service, you can use any type of advertising:

• registration on Internet sites;
• outdoor advertising;
• calling organizations;
• creating your own website.

It is clear that at the first stages it will be necessary to limit oneself to minimal advertising. Website development and other methods of promotion on the Internet make sense when expanding the enterprise.

Advertising, in order to avoid unnecessary costs, should be as close as possible to the target audience. You should analyze the market, identify your potential customers and try to convey useful information to them.

Advantages and disadvantages

The market has practically no competitors. If you choose the right location of the premises – close to potential customers, you can receive a steady income.

Disadvantages:

• Seasonal recession. If the business is focused on students, then during the holidays, especially summer, there is a protracted decline in income. The overall drop in profits can be 10-50%, depending on the contingent.
• Rent. It is difficult to find a suitable room and agree on its lease.
• Investments. The initial costs are very high – a considerable initial capital is required.
• Expenses. You need to cover a lot of utility bills – pay bills for water, electricity, etc.
• Vandalism. Greater risks are associated with the likelihood of deterioration of the CMA. This is especially true when serving students.

What does a franchise give?

There is another scheme for opening a case. Those who are not sure that they will be able to create a project with their own hands can purchase a franchise. Today there are already companies offering turnkey projects.

So, for example, there are firms offering the launch of a mini-laundry for 100 rubles, offering laundromats of their own design. In fact, they take ordinary household machines and equip them with payment systems.

In the business under consideration, the main thing is expansion. Companies of this kind open point by point. And when their number exceeds the interest of the company within the same city, they begin to offer partnerships to everyone. Such “innovators” offer not only CMA with a payment system, but also training.

What Franchise Sellers Offer:

• Finished equipment.
• Ready-made business model and work under the name of the company that sells the franchise.

The result is the launch of a successful enterprise and reaching positive profitability in six months.

Beneficial or not?

The main difference between washing vending is the absence of the need for constant replenishment with consumables. So, for example, coffee machines need constant maintenance – they need to be filled with sugar, coffee and a bunch of other ingredients. For washing, you need only two components:

• Water. Стоит она недорого, за цикл расходуется от 30 до 60 л.
• Detergent. Clients can bring it with them. You can organize a sale – like in American laundries. This is at the request of the owner. But it is easier, at first, to shift the problem of the powder onto the client – let him wash it with the tool that he likes.

According to representatives of companies that install washing machines with bill acceptors, the cost of one wash costs 7-8 rubles. This includes water, electricity, rent, and more. If you take at least 50 rubles for one wash, then the profit will be 42 rubles. That is, the profit from one wash is 500%.

The business in question can become profitable if favorable conditions are created for its development:

• A large number of consumers.
• Reliable equipment.
• Minimum rental costs.
• Avoid vandalism.
• Expansion prospects.

And certainly self-service enterprises are beneficial for people who do not have their own SMA due to the prevailing circumstances. As soon as the opportunity arises to come and wash the laundry without further ado, these people will immediately take advantage of this opportunity.

Feedback from owners and users

One of the companies engaged in the production and installation of self-service devices is Stirkatime, a St. Petersburg company. The owners of the company generously share the idea and sell the franchise. According to the founders of the company, they managed to create a profitable network of laundry shops. The founder of the Stirka Time company talks about this in the video.

Video:

Feedback from consumers of services is only positive. The students are especially pleased – thanks to the laundromats they were able to solve the problem of dirty linen. Those who have reached the wave of new business are spared from fussing with basins, they do not have to carry bales of bed linen home – all issues are resolved at the place of residence. Dormitories today do not consider it necessary to provide students with clean linen – well, entrepreneurs are gradually filling this empty niche.

Conclusions

Summing up:

• In the Russian market, the niche for self-service mini-laundries is practically not occupied. There is no competition, which gives impetus to the development of entrepreneurial activity.
• The biggest expense is related to equipment. Few people are able to buy several professional devices. More often they use household machines equipped with payment systems in a semi-handicraft way.

The business associated with opening laundromats is promising, but it requires large investments and pays off for a long time. For sustainable profits, expansion, equipment upgrades, control and maintenance of equipment are required.