Laundromat business catches on in Kenya

Women handwashing clothes in Nairobi's Kibra Slum. [Courtesy]

For many, doing laundry is a tedious and unpopular chore. But it must be done.

There’s nothing more appealing than leaving the house with a fresh set of clothes to tackle the day.

Smart entrepreneurs have since set their eyes on the laundry business tipped to bring in Sh150,000 monthly.

They are seeking to relieve the household chore from a booming busy middle-class that wants their clothes picked, washed, ironed and delivered back in a few hours.

One such entrepreneur is Ms Natasha Njee, the director of Avana Laundromat in Nairobi’s Kilimani. It is a business that has big dreams of expanding through the franchising model.

“It’s (laundromat) a thing that we see in the movies, people dropping off their laundry… a concept that never really hit home. But when I saw the research done and the first laundromats running, I was intrigued,” she told Enterprise.

Avana Laundromat has partnered with electronics giant LG and supplier Hotpoint to scale the laundromat business in the country.

LG Electronics Managing Director Sanyoung Kim (right), Avana Laundromat Director Natasha Njee (centre) and Hot Point B2B and Regional Head Ravin Kanani(left) cut cake during their partnership launch to empower entrepreneurs at Avana Laundromat, Chaka Place in Nairobi on April 12, 2022. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Ms Njee said market research done by the partners had shown a need for affordable laundry solutions, especially in the densely populated neighbourhoods.

These are locations where many are yet to have washing machines in their homes or want alternatives to handwashing and hanging the clothes out to dry and don’t want a mama fua (cleaning lady) in their homes.  

“This is everyday wash done conveniently… from underwear, daily wear to duvets and carpets,” she said.

Through an app, customers can see the nearest Avana Laundromat, drop their clothes or have them picked. And in under three hours, the clothes are ready, ironed and folded.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr Rabi Kanani, B2B and regional head, Hot Point, said they aim to empower 1,000 entrepreneurs eyeing the fast-growing on-demand laundry market in the next five years.

According to Mr Kanani, with less than 20 per cent of Kenyan homes owning a washing machine or dryer, commercial laundromats, popularly known as dry cleaners, are set to offer investors and clients a smarter, safer way of doing laundry while serving both single individuals and working couples with families.

It takes between Sh1.5 to Sh2 million to set up a laundromat. This amount is inclusive of costs of about 2-3 sets of washing and dryer machines.

The distributor has, from experience, said Mr Kanani proved that laundromats are a viable and profitable business in Kenya, having opened one in Buruburu about two years ago and another one in Thika Road Mall (TRM) last year.

The latter one is a smart laundry store unveiled last year in partnership with LG under its commercial machine reference stores concept.