During a trip to London to visit the LCT Cleanex trade show and some UK companies the newly formed LOD BV from the Netherlands signed a master license agreement with Laundrapp from the UK. Through Laundrapp’s online platform LOD BV will roll-out a nationwide Laundry on Demand service with a primary focus on modern consumers.
Laundry on Demand
Across the globe there is a trend of new initiatives for on demand, convenient services. This development also applies for the laundry industry, especially in the field of Retail laundry there are numerous start-ups that have developed concepts for an on demand pickup & delivery service. This business model is not to be mistaken for a regular pick-up service that is organized through (fixed) routes. The concept offers a higher level of flexibility for the customer with the possibility of same day pickups within 1 hour timeslots that can be arranged via 3 simple swipes in the app. Offering such a service requires a sophisticated IT platform that offers a seamless user experience as well as a logistics process that is completely automated. Based on an international market study of CINET (the International Committee for Professional Textile Care) on the subject of Laundry on Demand LOD BV made its decision for a master license of the Laundrapp platform.
Scoop: Cleaners influence on the Last Mile
One of the known complexities with these new, on demand concepts is the ‘ownership of the last mile’. In many cases online platforms take over the contact and relation with the customer and outsource the actual work to an existing laundry & dry cleaner. This results in a situation that the cleaner becomes a subcontractor of the online platform. For the Benelux region LOD BV choose a different setup, the 15 founding cleaners that have set up the platform become preferred shareholders in order to balance out the control of the organization. At the same time it enables all parties to specialize: cleaners can focus on high quality, cost effective processing while the online platform is completely dedicated to next-level marketing & customer care. LOD BV will be managed by a two-headed team of directors. The managing director / CEO is Ms. Debora van Orsouw, experienced marketeer & consultant and a director of operations / COO Mr. Gerard van der Kaa.
Growth & new market share
LOD BV is focused on new market segments and market share, positioning the domestic washing machine as the main competitor. Being able to start a new, nationwide service enables LOD BV to create a new brand that sets itself apart from existing brands and services that are intangibly connected to the more traditional image of dry cleaning. Together with a highly qualified marketing agency LOD BV will build this new brand as a disruptor of the laundry industry focussing not only on the delicate & representative garments but very much on the whole laundry basket.