Laundry and dry-cleaning, which so far has remained unorganised in India, is becoming a fetched-after business. According to KPMG, the retail laundry business in India is around R5,200 crore.
Jyothy Laboratories-owned Fabric Spa aims to open 200 stores in India over the next three years. Pressto has around 11 stores in Delhi and Mumbai, and plans to open up around 20 stores by the end of March. Laundromat, a concept brought in from the west, is picking up business with each passing day.
Started by 24-year-old Anshul Gupta, Laundromat allows consumers pay and use a coin-operated machine to wash their laundry. Gupta, started with two stores in Delhi, said: "The footfalls are going up every day, though we are using only 30% of installed capacity. Sales pickup on weekend. We are exploring pan-India opportunities through franchisee mode in future."
It's not everyone's cup of tea but Radha Kapoor is chirped up about donning the role of a 'stain remover'. "Indian stains are horrible but its fun removing them," said Kapoor, director, promoter and the franchisee owner for the Spanish laundry firm Pressto in India. "There is a lot of potential in this category," said Kapoor, 26, daughter of Yes Bank MD Rana Kapoor.
"Indians are travelling more and there is a growing influx of foreign labels coming to India and thus the need to take appropriate fabric care. There is a dearth of good drycleaners and we are looking at filling this gap," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"Indians are travelling more and there is a growing influx of foreign labels coming to India and thus the need to take appropriate fabric care. There is a dearth of good drycleaners and we are looking at filling this gap," she said.
{{/usCountry}}Pressto opened shop in 2008 and has 11 stores in Mumbai and Delhi. It is looking at opening 100 stores by 2015.