“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?” said Kevin Dubois, CEO and president of Clean Franchise Brands, 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” furthers 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.”
The name change represents another milestone for Clean Franchise Brands. In 2021, the franchisor 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 500+ stores in 40 states and nine countries.
