1. Please introduce yourself (personal profile, current job, background, experiences, and interests)
I’m Chirag Bhatia, a first-generation entrepreneur and the driving force behind CLEANOVO – Dry Clean Experts, a leading brand in India’s retail laundry sector. I’m passionate about revolutionizing the way people experience dry-cleaning and laundry services across multiple cities. My journey in this industry began back in 2010 when I started as a laundry technologist and IT professional with 5asec, a global leader in textile care.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of receiving specialized training from industry giants like Firbimatic, Alliance, Metalprogetti, and 5asec. This hands-on experience has equipped me with a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the laundry business, which I’ve seamlessly blended with my business acumen.
Today, as one of the directors at SBFabcare Pvt Ltd, I oversee a thriving chain of 32 retail stores with franchisees across six major cities in India under the CLEANOVO brand. I’ve always believed in the power of technology and standardization, which has been crucial in setting up and successfully operating 23 5asec stores previously, and now 32 CLEANOVO stores. My commitment to well-defined Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) ensures that we consistently deliver high-quality services to our customers.
Outside of work, I am deeply passionate about music. I’m a singer-songwriter and occasionally perform at local shows. I also love collecting unique musical instruments, which adds a creative dimension to my life and keeps me connected to my artistic side. I hold a degree from the Indian School of Business and originally trained as an audio engineer, which enriches both my professional and personal endeavors.
2. How do you see the Indian market developing, and what trends do you see in private customer demand?
Despite being a country of 1.4 billion people, income inequality leaves only a small portion of India as consumers of professional textile care services. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023-24 inequality report, barely the top 25% of India’s population has disposable income for such services.
That said, this 25% is further divided into segments ranging from lower middle class to upper middle class, premium, and elite. With the country experiencing economic reforms and drastic measures to uplift its population, more disposable income is entering the market, and people are increasingly spending on wants rather than just needs.
My exposure is mainly to premium and elite consumers, and I see growth in this segment across many cities, most surprisingly in smaller towns and cities. Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are proving to be very promising markets for professional textile care services. The elite and premium consumers in these cities are spending more on fashion due to greater exposure and availability, which presents opportunities for professional textile care companies to fill the gap.
3. Could you please give a brief profile of the services provided by your company?
Cleanovo specializes in premium professional textile care, offering a wide range of services, including:
- Dry Cleaning, Wet Cleaning, and Laundry
- Shoe and Sneaker Cleaning
- Carpet and Sofa Upholstery Cleaning (available both on-site and via pick-up)
- Alterations and Tailoring
- Travel Packing Services (we neatly pack garments in suitcases for customers traveling)
- Curtain Dismantling, Cleaning, and Reinstallation
4. What particular target groups are you focusing on?
- Our service motto revolves around trust, transparency, and reliability. We cater to customers who value high-quality service and are willing to pay for dependability.
- Our target clientele consists of premium customers who seek a thorough explanation of services and expect complete professionalism from their service providers.
- Our marketing highlights the scale of our operations across multiple cities in India, along with key metrics such as the number of regular customers and the volume of garments we process daily without damage or delays. This approach reinforces trust in our brand.
5. What does it take to meet those customers’ expectations?
Meeting our customers’ expectations requires a balance of trust, efficiency, and innovation. We know convenience is key, but so is ensuring the care of their valuable garments. Our strategically located stores serve as trust anchors, providing a reliable starting point for service.
Our commitment to timely, high-quality care keeps customers coming back, supported by technology like our app and WhatsApp for full transparency. Customers can track their garments throughout the process, building confidence in our services.
We offer live cleaning at our mother stores, online ordering and tracking, and convenient home pick-up and delivery, all designed for ease and flexibility. By integrating seamless features like WhatsApp for service requests, we meet expectations through a blend of personalized care and technological convenience.
6. How do you profile your services to youngsters in particular?
Our millennial and Gen Z consumers from the elite segment act as influencers for older generations, who are typically the decision-makers in their households. The younger generation leverages the convenience of our tech platforms, helping to build trust within their families. While they may not directly decide on professional textile care services, they influence these decisions, which is why we target them in our online marketing campaigns. On platforms like Instagram, we share simple garment care hacks that engage this audience and encourage them to talk about our services at home.
In contrast, millennials and Gen Z in the premium segment, often living in nuclear families or as couples with busy corporate careers, are the decision-makers. For them, time is a premium resource. This group values the convenience and transparency of our app and WhatsApp services. We target them through sales agents in housing condominiums and online performance marketing, making the onboarding process seamless. Once they begin using our services, their priority is convenience at every step, allowing them to save time.
7. How do you expect IT and AI developments to help you perform better personally and for your company?
Generative AI and new IT platforms are at a point where they significantly shape human behavior, affecting both productivity and efficiency. Whether these tools make people more productive or lead to complacency depends on how they are used. In business, particularly in a laundry operation, leveraging the right AI tools can drive greater efficiency across functions. The key for any business leader is to explore AI tools that align with their goals and maximize output.
In the laundry industry specifically, there’s great potential for AI to enhance existing industrial automation. The machines currently in use often rely heavily on skilled operators to optimize their performance. Most are monovalent or bivalent, handling a limited range of tasks. However, generative AI could help these machines evolve into polyvalent systems—capable of handling diverse garment types while learning and improving with each cycle. This would reduce reliance on human expertise and ensure consistent, high-quality results, transforming both productivity and the overall capabilities of industrial laundry operations.
8. How do you see the future for professional textile care in India?
As mentioned earlier, India is a diverse market with rapidly evolving customer segments. Professional textile care businesses in India have a unique opportunity to select the segment they can serve best and focus on excelling in that space. The beauty of this market lies in its size—every segment, no matter how niche, is large enough to offer significant business potential.
We’re seeing a rise in professional textile care startups at various scales, making the market increasingly competitive. However, I believe there are still plenty of opportunities for businesses with innovative ideas to carve out their space and succeed.
9. What should professionals do these days to stimulate professional textile care business?
Professionals in the professional textile care industry have a tremendous opportunity to create content—whether written, video, or audio—to stimulate growth and innovation within the sector. In many industries, experts regularly share their knowledge and best practices through podcasts, books, and other mediums, helping to guide the next generation of entrepreneurs. I believe the professional textile care services industry holds a wealth of expertise and skill development that has yet to be fully tapped into or shared.
Many professionals in this space haven’t realized the potential to commercialize their years of knowledge through structured, professional content. This thought was sparked by a recent example I came across—a YouTube channel by a dhobi sharing best practices for washing clothes in the dhobi ghat. It showed me how valuable knowledge can be shared and monetized, regardless of scale. There’s a vast, untapped potential for professionals to leverage their experiences and help educate others, while also creating a new stream of revenue.
10. What are your expectations for the Global Best Practices Awards?
I have high expectations for the Global Best Practices Awards, particularly as a platform to connect with professionals in the professional textile care industry from around the world. It’s an incredible opportunity to exchange ideas and gain insights into how different business challenges are being addressed globally. Every region and business faces unique problems, and I’m excited to see the diverse strategies and innovative solutions that other professionals have successfully implemented in their operations.
Participating in this event allows me to not only share my own story but also learn from the vast experiences of others in the industry. I’m eager to engage in conversations that will broaden my understanding of how to enhance our own practices and potentially apply some of the best solutions to our business.
The event promises to offer a wealth of knowledge, and I look forward to bringing back fresh perspectives, new ideas, and even potential collaborations that could drive innovation and efficiency in professional textile care services. It’s a fantastic platform for professional growth and inspiration, and I’m excited to contribute to the global dialogue and learn from the collective experience of industry leaders.
