At the NECLA annual meeting, Michael Sokolwski discussed trends in the Laundry industry. Most of the information is pretty common sense for anybody who keeps up on the industry. Below is a Summary of Michael's presentation:

• The General State of the laundry industry is good and getting better,
• Manufacturers are rolling out new products and new models,
• Laundromats who have survived the recession are doing better,
• Laundromats in immigration restrictive states still are struggling,
• Laundromats are moving to larger washers
• Laundromats have less Top Load washers and more Front Load washers,
• Laundromats are doing more Alternative Payment Systems
  • All Card Laundromats,
  • Credit Card Acceptance,
  • Central Pay systems, and
  • Multi-Coin acceptance (accept quarters & dollar coins).
• Easing of Financial Credit is helping the industry,
• Marketing is easier with CLA websites, Direct Mail & Social Media.
• Water & Sewer rates are the fastest growing cost in Laundromats,

From my perspective, I think the state of the Laundry industry is good and will only improve. There is strong interest from outsiders about getting into the Laundry business and many customers are continuing to improve their Laundromats by adding new equipment or dressing up the décor of their Laundromats. I anticipate the push to more energy efficient Laundry equipment in the coming years. As water & sewer costs continue to increase and when gas prices start to rise due to the better economy, this will force Laundromat owners to either sell their stores or bite the bullet and re-tool their Laundromats. I think the industry looks good for continued success.