StatShot: Regions Report Upswings in Laundry Sales for January and 2011 Year

CHICAGO — Every region of the country reported small sales increases in January, fresh off a year that saw coin laundry sales rise more significantly compared to the prior year, according to results of the latest AmericanCoinOp.com StatShot survey.

Sales in January were modestly higher compared to January 2011 figures. The Midwest enjoyed the largest upswing at 3.7%, followed by the Northeast at 1%, the South at 0.9% and the West at 0.3%.

The 2011 numbers were much glossier when compared to 2010 results. Here, the South led the pack with a 9.6% sales increase, followed closely by the Northeast at 7.6%. Sales rose 6.5% in the West compared to 2010, and the Midwest saw a 2% increase.

Nationally, self-service laundry operators who responded to the unscientific survey averaged a 1.4% sales increase in January compared to January 2011 and a 6.5% sales increase in calendar year 2011 from 2010.

While the overall sales results were positive, respondents’ anonymous comments about their local market conditions were more varied.

Some of the good:

• West: “Business has noticeably picked up. I also see a lot of new faces. I did add cable TV, but could that have made that big a difference?”
• Midwest: “Slow just like everywhere else, but laundries are doing fine.”
• Northeast: “I think people that do not regularly use the (Laundromat) are using them more for large items. Also, there are more people living in apartments in our area.”
• South: “Houston has replaced all jobs lost since the beginning of the great recession and the labor market here continues to improve every month!”

Some of the bad:

• South: “Slow.”
• West: “Soft at best. Local mines are running but over half the population depends on a government check.”
• Northeast: “Loss of customers.”
• Midwest: “Stagnant and iffy.”

The StatShot includes information on sales, wages, costs or other financial data based on anonymous survey information provided by industry owners and operators.

Audience members are invited to participate in these unscientific surveys, which are conducted online via a partner website. Self-service laundry operators are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define industry trends.