The revival of retail laundries

The revival of retail laundries

Although it seemed unlikely, the laundry and dry-cleaning industry in India have started to arise from the COVID shadow. Some industry experts in this market explain how demand has returned and how it will develop.

First of all, compared to some decades ago, a present wardrobe has many more branded, high-end garments. And as purchasing power steadily increased, people are willing to spend more on what they wear and clothes are bought around the year. Furthermore, the new sustainable fabrics for leisure- and home wear are delicate and difficult to wash at home. Finally, the more expensive the garment, the greater the demand for cleaning and maintaining it professionally.

In the commercial sector, the hospitality industry is holding on to 100% cotton as the essence of comfort. Hospitals may still use polyester-mix uniforms for their staff, but for their patients they started using cotton or poly-cotton gowns. Finally, many businesses have gone to work-from-office, and blazers have been dropped from outfits. However, shirts and pants are coming back for processing. Overall conclusion: people have become used to services at their doorstep and they want the convenience of home pickups and drops, scheduled through an app. Laundry is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.