The Gardner family are trialling a launderette inside their newly refurbished forecourt store in Huntley, Gloucestershire, which they hope will give them around three times the income that the same amount of external machines could provide.
The existing two washers and driers on the forecourt are being replaced with a room of two nine kilo capacity washers and driers, and a 15 kilo washer and drier which the business expects will be popular for cleaning quilts, blankets and pet beds – all with contactless payment pads.
Previously, says operations director Ashton Gardner, the site made between £5,000 to £8,000 commission a year from the external machines. He hopes that having almost doubled capacity, in a rental arrangement with supplier JLA, the revenue it will be closer to an annual £30,000 to £40,000.
Renting the equipment made most sense, said Ashton. “We had the option to buy, which would have been in excess of £100,000,” he said. ”The rental agreement is really reasonable at just £120 a month for one machine and that incudes servicing, engineer visits and breakdowns.”
The initiative is part of a £1.1m site refit which doubled the size of the store to 2,650 sq ft and will see the introduction of a two-bay electric vehicle charging station. The newly-rebranded Budgens Huntley Services, on the edge of the village near Gloucester on the A40, is one of six forecourts owned by the Gardners in the southwest of England.
If all goes to plan the launderette, in a space previously used as an office area, will be up and running in August. Ashton is also considering acquiring a detergents vending machine.
The launderette has an adjoining door to the store for its users to shop while they wait for their laundry cycle to complete. There is also an external door so that the room could be open when the store is not.
“Access will only be from the outside so that customers will not walk through the shop with dirty washing, but there is a door which will open into the shop from the launderette,” said Ashton.
With forecourts known for having external laundry machines the initiative is a natural progression for the business said Ashton, and will, he hopes, be useful for motorists to use dwell time while charging their electric vehicles. The concept is space dependent though and Ashton will keep external units at other sites.
He plans to gain interest with a 5m poster on the forecourt, and through boosting Facebook content and also running loyalty offers through the Noumi app for the launderette.
Supplier JLA says that this initiative is a first for the company, which provides over 70% of the UK’s launderettes and dry cleaners. But it believes that running a self-service launderette as part of a forecourt store could become more popular as it requires minimal staffing and provides a “one-stop shop” for customers.
“People often need to do laundry while running errands,” said its area sales manager for the south Vicky Clark-Savage.
“Combining it with a fuel stop can save time for truck drivers and holidaymakers, especially in areas near to campsites,” said Clark-Savage.
Busy professionals would also welcome the service, she added. “These demographics often lack laundry facilities and may find this service appealing.
“Customers waiting for their laundry might be tempted to buy snacks, drinks, or other items available in store. It’s also a nice environment to wait for your laundry.”
