Deal expands local network to 10 stores and more than doubles delivery routes
[1851franchise.com – 2026.09.23] Tide Cleaners franchisee Robert Lyons and his partners have acquired six Widmer’s dry cleaning locations in Cincinnati through Consolidated Cleaners Inc., expanding their local network from four stores to 10. The acquisition also more than doubles the group’s delivery routes.
The acquired stores are being converted to Tide Cleaners, bringing a business with more than a century of local history into the franchise network. Lyons said Widmer’s established locations, loyal customers and reputation for service made it an attractive acquisition.
“The reputation in the market for providing great-quality cleaning and customer service was really high,” Lyons said. “Some dry cleaners don’t necessarily mesh with our concept, but this one matched what we do as a company.”
Widmer’s had been a potential acquisition target since Lyons’ group entered the Cincinnati market several years ago. An existing contractual arrangement prevented a deal at that time, but subsequent discussions opened the way for the purchase.
The acquisition gives the group broader coverage across Cincinnati, including established stores with drive-thru service. It also reflects Lyons’ growing interest in acquisitions as an alternative to building new locations.
“It is expensive to build new locations, it is difficult permitting-wise, and the inflation we’ve seen over the past few years has made acquisitions a very compelling way to grow moving forward,” he said.
A priority during the transition is retaining familiar employees and preserving relationships with longtime Widmer’s customers. Lyons said some families had patronized the business for generations, making continuity an important part of the conversion.
“They become loyal to a brand or a team,” he said. “So when we come in, we try to keep the same staff customers know and love, and we are just going to make everything even better.”
Although Consolidated Cleaners operates across several states, Lyons described it as a family-operated business whose owners remain involved in operations.
The conversion includes investments in updated counters, new point-of-sale computers and refreshed interiors. One acquired location is also slated to move into a newly built store modeled after the group’s newer Tide Cleaners locations.
Operational changes include Tide’s technology and cleaning systems, a proprietary detergent formulated to target grease stains, and the GreenEarth Cleaning process. Lyons said the stores offer faster turnaround than before and reported a positive customer response to the transition.
Lyons has spent more than 13 years with Tide Cleaners, beginning with a single location in Naples, Fla. He and his partners have since expanded across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Kentucky through a combination of new development and acquisitions. The group has also recently entered the Tide Laundromat business.
The Cincinnati transaction highlights the role acquisitions can play in dry cleaning expansion: established locations, delivery routes and customer relationships provide an operating base, while the buyer invests in facilities, systems and service improvements.
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