The Business Plan of Mr Papadopolous

There is a well known code associated with this particular activity;
1) Never go on a sunday afternoon
2)Children are never supervised
3)Protect your underwear
4)Your detergent matters.

The final part of the code, or in the words of various characters from Pirates of the Caribbean more of a set of guidelines is a bit of a give-away for the whole enterprise.. and yet when was the last time that you had to go to a laundrette, or launderette or laundromat or washateria.

The idea for this type of service was thought up by an entrepreneur  in Texas in 1949 and the sight of a coin operated establishment was once commonplace on the High Streets of the UK peaking at 12,500 outlets either individually owned, in small family run clusters or by large companies.

The first coin operated laundrette to appear in this country was the Central Wash on Queensway, London in May 1949 and still going strong today even though numbers, nationwide have dwindled to around 3000.

The halcyon era for the business of self service washing was in the 1970's and 1980's in response to a number of social and economic factors. Not everyone had a washing machine in their homes and an upsurge in inner city living meant little actual space for such a domestic appliance. Single persons, immigrants and students formed the main users on a regular basis but not ruling out the elderly and well to do classes.

The emergence of the duvet in modern lifestyles has also been seen as a catalyst as the task of washing one or more forms a major, laborious and expensive drain on time and resources. The whole wash and dry cycle takes only an hour in large commercial machines which can take up to 5 times the load of a normal domestic appliance.

Back to the Central Wash.

It has survived against pressures from fuel costs, recession and the ridiculous imposition of VAT on something that you have to do yourself because at its core it is a profitable business.

The figures in available business plans do appear to support the viability of owning and running a laundrette. I have found out that for an initial investment of £25,000 to £45,000 it is possible to purchase a fully automated set of equipment amounting to up to 15 washers and 12 dryers. This can generate without too much trouble a weekly income before tax and outgoings of £2000 or £100,000 a year.

My own recollections of a laundrette are based on my student years.

I went weekly to what must have been the most desolate and depressing coin-op on the face of the earth.

No one spoke, there was no atmosphere but at the same time you dare not turn your back on your chosen machine or even sneak out to the corner shop for a bottle of coke in case someone stole the entire contents. Certainly a far cry from the image of a pop culture Laundrette as depicted by the boxer shorts clad Nick Kamen in the famous Levis advert from 1985.

There has been some resurgence in the Laundrette but on a low key basis with many outlets having been pushed out of the High Street by high rents to occupy side and back street locations. A few have attempted a fusion with coffee shop operations, community hub use and internet or termed Laundernet. Many surviving establishments have attendant staff offering service washes or ironingA Manchester business allows users to watch a movie for the duration of their visit.

There is evidently still some need for this type of service, perhaps an indictment of the way we lead our busy lives today.