NEWTON, Mass. — Zoots Corp. sold its Virginia stores and plant to Palm Springs, Calif.-based U.S. Dry Cleaning Corp. (USDC) this week and will auction off equipment and supplies at its former Wallingford, Conn., production facility early next week.
USDC paid $1.9 million to assume control of Zoots’ 11 retail locations in Hampton Roads, Va., and plant in Portsmouth. The purchase represents U.S. Dry Cleaning’s first entry into East Coast markets in its effort to become a nationwide consolidator of drycleaning operations.
“We are very enthusiastic about joining the USDC family and excited to be part of the effort to create the nation's premier drycleaning chain,” says William Wall, formerly of Zoots and now general manager of USDC Portsmouth.
The company already has operations in Hawaii and several parts of California. USDC will “fill in the geographic gaps over time,” Deborah Rechnitz, vice president of business development told the Hampton Roads Pilot.
The acquisition is USDC’s second this quarter. “We are determined to carry out our game plan of buying market-share-leading companies that have strong cashflow,” says Robbie Lee, USDC founder and CEO. “With this acquisition and our acquisition of Team Enterprises Inc. in Central California, we are on track to achieve our goal of a $100 million run rate by the end of 2008.”
The contents of Zoots’ Wallingford, Conn., production facility will be auctioned on Tuesday, April 8, with a preview on Monday, April 7. For a list of more than 200 items for sale, visit auctioneer Joseph Finn Co. The Zoots name will continue only in Massachusetts, also under new ownership.
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