HANOVER, Mass. — Lapels Dry Cleaning, headquartered here, recently introduced its Lapels Express Drop Zone offering for current and future franchise owners, it reports.
“This new ‘wrinkle’ to the franchise opportunity provides owners with the mechanism to install drop-off spots within local establishments,” it writes.
The concept is fairly straightforward, Lapels Dry Cleaning notes, as owners negotiate with local businesses to essentially rent out part of the store as a drop-off zone.
“The drop zone express concept works on so many levels,” says Kevin Dubois, CEO of Lapels Dry Cleaning.
“For the franchise owner, it’s like having a satellite location but without having to staff the location or pay an expensive rent,” he explains.
“For the store owner, it’s a way to offer additional services to their customer base — essentially guaranteeing a return visit for the customer — and earn some extra revenue by renting out the space for the drop-off,” Dubois says.
A typical drop zone, the firm relates, would require around 100-square-feet to accommodate a drop-off container. Store customers can drop off their clothes in the company’s garment bag, which can either be purchased at the dry cleaner’s store or at the store itself.
When clothes are ready for pickup, customers can either pay at the store’s cashier or pre-pay via Lapels’ app, it notes.
Pick-ups and drop-offs would take place two days per week — probably Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, depending on the store, it further relates.
The price point for the build-out for a Lapels Dry Cleaning Drop-off Express is up to $5,000. For a franchise owner to be eligible, they must own and operate a drycleaning plant; owners with just a satellite location are not eligible, the company points out.
Dubois continues, “Most importantly, for customers, this is a big win. There’s the convenience of an additional place to get their clothes dry-cleaned. If it’s a convenience store, the chances are good that it will be open later than typical Lapels hours.
“It also provides an opportunity to take care of other errands, like picking up a gallon of milk, by going to one location.”
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