NAPLES, Fla. — To better represent the realities facing its franchisees, the world’s largest garment cleaning company has decided to change its name. Lapels Dry Cleaning now will be known as Lapels Cleaners.
“For decades, dry cleaners have gone out of their way to draw a line of distinction with garment cleaning based on what machine it goes in. When I first got started, I couldn’t understand why my dry cleaner was asking me if I wanted my shirt dry cleaned?” says Kevin Dubois, CEO and president of Clean Franchise Brands, the franchisor for Lapels Cleaners.
“Our next generation of customer wants convenience, and they are not focused on what machine we put their garments in. Whether it’s their polo shirt, suit or Lululeman pants, they just want someone reliable to clean them all in a professional and environmentally sound manner.”
“During the pandemic, people realized it was time to quit the minimum wage task of spending weekends doing laundry,” says Lapels Cleaners Chief Operating Officer David Grippi. “With the new name, we want to make it very clear to customers that they can come in with everything from their dress suits to their casual attire to their socks and underwear, and Lapels Cleaners will provide the best cleaning solution that will have your clothes looking, feeling and smelling their best while being cleaned in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.”
This is the latest change for a company that has transformed itself in recent years. In 2021, Clean Franchise Brands and its equity partner, Greybull Stewardship, L.P. (“Greybull”), purchased Martinizing Dry Cleaning, 1-800-DryClean, Pressed4time, Dry Cleaning Station and Bizziebox. The acquisitions made Clean Franchise Brands the largest garment cleaning company in the world, with more than 500 stores in 40 states and nine countries.
“The acquisition was a game-changer in terms of what we can offer our franchise owners and how that translates into more offerings and better services for our customers,” Dubois says. “The merger gives us the collective purchasing power to significantly reduce operational costs for our franchises. For example, a Lapels Cleaners plant may provide the cleaning service for a 1-800-Dry-Clean operator.”
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