Clean clothes, like food and shelter, are a basic human need. That's why card and coin laundry businesses are often buffered from fluctuations in the economy and why many industry experts refer to them as being nearly recession-proof. The typical card or coin operated store operates on a cash-in-advance basis with little inventory. Plus, a vended/coin laundry business is owner-controlled, creating a greater degree of management control.

Today with a larger population, there's a trend toward building larger coin laundries that provide more laundry-related services and extras to make the chore of doing laundry more enjoyable. Modern vended laundries feature TV lounges, vending machines, children's play areas, restaurants, tanning beds and more. The coin laundry industry remains robust, continuing to offer investors a solid and stable return on their valuable investment.

Store Location is Critical to Success

There are many factors to consider when selecting the location for your coin laundry business, including traffic density, population, competition, availability of utilities, store visibility and even available parking. Be sure to consider a location's traffic patterns and volume, neighborhood trends and competition. Are there any other coin op laundries nearby? If so, how might their business affect yours? At Daniel Equipment we can help you answer these questions.

We also conduct demographic studies of a location before you invest. In doing so, we help you determine a population's ethnic origin, median income, rental percentage, family size and median age. Historic trends show that coin operated laundry business perform best when located in high rental areas and where lower-income families reside. However, each situation should be analyzed individually.

Laundry Planning

Card or coin laundry equipment, energy efficiency, services and flow; these are the factors to consider when designing a new store. A good store layout utilizing the right card or coin operated laundry equipment saves time and money. That's why, along with providing the best coin operated laundry equipment in the industry, Continental offers complete design and layout services for your coin laundry operation. Our team understands how to maximize your store's profit potential by designing a card or coin op laundry store with the proper equipment mix, services and layout. Proper card or coin operated laundry equipment placement and sizing will maximize your laundry’s revenue and operation efficiency.

Card or Coin

Let's face it, it's a hassle for storeowners to collect money from coin operated laundry equipment, and it's a hassle for customers to use coins to do laundry. No one enjoys it. For storeowners, it's labor intensive and an accounting nightmare.

Card technology eliminates these hassles. A snapshot of your store's revenue is available anytime of day via your computer. Everything is automated and recorded for you, and you have complete control over your cash and accounting. Plus, with card technology for your business, a cash-less system can make your store more secure. That’s why more and more coin operated laundry businesses are adopting debit card technology—a system in which customers use cards instead of money to operate card/coin laundry machines. Card technology promotes customer loyalty, while providing you with the promotional and marketing flexibility you need. Plus, it greatly simplifies time spent managing the books and collecting your profits, and provides on-line monitoring capabilities to track store activity while at an off-store location.

As coin operated laundry stores become larger, they can take on larger pieces of equipment. The bigger the washer extractor, for example, the more coins required to operate it. Piling quarter after quarter into a machine not only annoys your customers, the process is time consuming and can cause coin jams that render your machine inoperable. Card-managed laundries successfully avoid this headache. At Continental, we'll work to help you design and implement your card store. We think it's the right move—one that will boost security, build customer loyalty and save you time.

Coin/Vended Launsry Amenities Make the Difference

Why do customers flock to your coin laundry? Because your store makes the dreaded task of doing laundry more bearable, maybe even enjoyable... Your card and coin operated laundry equipment saves the customer time and money, and your store provides lifestyle amenities that are interesting and comforting. No one likes doing laundry. That’s why it’s important to make the experience as enjoyable and efficient as possible.

When designing, or remodeling your self-service laundry, consider including not only the right mix of card and coin operated equipment, but also other amenities and accessories that work together to attract a variety of customers. Industry trends indicate self-service laundries are growing in size and service, and including amenities add value to your customer's daily chore.

Possible amenities to include:

• Super-capacity washer-extractors
• Drop-off drycleaning services
• Vending machines
• Internet access
• ATM's
• Restaurants
• Children’s play areas
• Television lounges
• Tanning beds

Your Distributors Role

Daniels Equipment Company is experienced when it comes to starting up new energy-efficient coin laundry businesses. Daniels can provide recommendations on where to locate your coin laundry business, what card or coin operated laundry equipment to install, and how to handle lease negotiations and obtain competitivefinancing. Continental distributors have been in the laundry business a long time—they know what works and they want you to succeed. Most importantly, they are there to support your success after the sale, by providing the service and marketing support you need to keep your coin laundry equipment operating at peak performance levels, and customers returning again and again.