BRAINTREE, Mass. — Lapels Dry Cleaning opened a full-service drycleaning store here at 284 Grove St. in June. ARAL Management Group owns and operates the location, its fifth Lapels store.
ARAL Management, which also owns and operates 10 Friendly’s restaurants around Massachusetts, has taken over Lapels Dry Cleaning stores in Natick, Needham, Cambridge and Boston within the past year.
Bobby Arruda, president of ARAL Management Group, notes that Lapels Dry Cleaning of Needham will serve as the hub for ARAL’s Lapels locations.
“Besides Lapels Dry Cleaning of Braintree, we anticipate adding a number of additional spokes to our hub at Lapels Dry Cleaning of Needham, creating a large wheel of drycleaning locations extending up to Boston to MetroWest, Boston South and the South Shore,” Arruda says.
“We have been looking for an opportunity to diversify our holdings and Lapels Dry Cleaning has been on our radar for a while now for several reasons — namely the people, the organization, and the opportunity for growth,” he adds. “Perhaps most importantly, the environmental appeal won us over. Lapels Dry Cleaning of Braintree is the only dry cleaner in the area using a 100% environmentally non-toxic cleaning solution.”
Lapels has pioneered its eco-friendly drycleaning experience over the past dozen years. Part of that effort includes a partnership agreement with GreenEarth®, notes the company.
Arruda began working with Friendly’s 25 years ago, rising through the ranks to become director of operations for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He has been a Friendly’s franchise owner since 2012.
Joining Arruda in the Lapels venture is his wife, Claudette. As co-owner, she will manage the day-to-day operations at the Braintree store. The couple reside in Hanover, Mass., and have two children.
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