When California businessman Matt
Hurley was considering the self
service laundry industry, he had explored
many different opportunities to increase his
investment portfolio. His research led him
to an abandoned coin laundry that was in
shambles and that had been closed for over
a year.
Located on the edge of a low income area
in Fresno called Pinedale, D’s Wash and Dry
borders Riverpark shopping area, which is
the highest grossing retail area in central
California. The previous owner had walked
away from the store because he could
not pay the bills and with over 50 existing
laundries in the Fresno area, Hurley faced
some tough competition.
Before closing, the store had not been
able to even pay the rent and utilities.
Dirty, with outdated equipment and broken
down machines, the previous owner had
essentially "run off" the few customers the
store had to another laundry located 2 miles
away.
Believing he could turn the business around,
Hurley worked with his Dexter Authorized
Distributor, Western State Design to renovate
and remodel the store with new stainless
steel Dexter laundry equipment, ceramic tile,
crown moldings, stainless steel folding tables
and bright modern paint with a big screen
television. The store is fully attended, has
digital surveillance and monitoring, and
features a Dexter Easy Card™ system.
Hurley's new ownership, renovated design,
and Dexter laundry equipment has resulted
in a two to three fold increase in gross
volume. The store just hit an all time high for
the month of January without any increase
in advertising, and Hurley anticipates a fi ve
fold increase by January, 2008.
While many laundries only draw customers
from a 1 to 3 mile radius, this store brings
in new and existing customers from a much
larger area due to the quality of equipment,
maintenance and design. "People from as far
away as 15 miles come to our store because
it is so clean, comfortable and secure", said
Hurley. "We get daily compliments on what
we have done."
One of the keys to the success of this
laundry is the wide span of customers
it attracts. Two if the highest income
neighborhoods in Fresno are within the
3 mile radius of the store and it is not
uncommon to see large Asian and Hispanic
lower income families washing side by side
with high income housewives unloading
comforters from the Mercedes and BMWs.
Hurley keeps his store’s pricing competitive,
offers air conditioning in the summer and
has a fully attended store. "Our Dexter
machines are performing wonderfully," said
Hurley. "Our customers are particularly
happy with the predictable wash times and
the safety stop feature."
When comparing energy costs, Hurley was pleased to find that his energy efficient Dexter Express machines helped his utility costs be a very low 12.5%* of gross for the first 12 months. Hurley has also been pleased with his Dexter Easy Card™ system. His customers love not having to lug quarters, and enjoy having their own card. “From an ownership perspective, it has provided critical timely information on all levels. Daily income reports, machine error reports and many filtering options give me a clear picture of what is happening on a nearly minute-by-minute basis....even from remote locations. A business manager can not ask for much more than that!”, said Hurley.
Hurley’s investment has paid off several times over, and as a result, he is currently looking to open several more laundries in the near future. He signed a lease last week on a second closed location. He is in the process of working with Western State Design, his Dexter Authorized Distributor to remove the old equipment and to refurbish the store with all new Dexter Express machines including an Dexter Easy Card™ system.
Store Equipment Mix:
About Western State Design
Founded in 1974, Western State Design is headquartered near San Francisco, with numerous offices throughout the country fully staffed with factory trained service technicians, parts personnel, and sales consultants. Western State Design was recently recognized by Dexter Laundry, Inc as the 2007 Dexter Distributor of the Year and is also a 2007 Dexter President’s Club Award Winner.
* Individual store energy costs will vary with equipment mix and local utility rates
The Dexter Authorized
Distributor For This Location is:
Western State Design
25616 Nickel Place
Hayward, CA 94545
United States
Toll Free: 1-800-633-7153
Local Phone: 510-786-9271
info@westernstatedesign.com
www.westernstatedesign.com |
