Content about State of the Industry Survey

CHICAGO — How do you think your self-service laundry business compared to others in the industry last year? Did you have a good year or a bad year in 2012? How does your pricing compare to others?

American Coin-Op’s annual State of the Industry survey offers you the opportunity to compare your operation to others in the industry. It focuses on 2012/2013 business conditions, pricing, equipment, common problems, turns per day, and utilities cost.

In instances where respondents were asked about 2012 business results, they were given the opportunity to state their results were up, down or unchanged. This is a departure from surveys compiled in 2011 and earlier, when they were asked only if their business results were up or down. Keep this in mind as you are making comparisons to previous years’ polls.

The survey is an unscientific electronic poll of American Coin-Op readers who operate stores. Some percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

WASHER PRICES

American Coin-Op asked respondents about their current washer prices, and if they increased prices this year or planned on doing so by the end of the year.

More than 85% of respondents offer top loaders. The price range for a top-load wash is $1 to $4. The most expensive top-load wash was 50 cents more that last year’s top price.

Here are the most popular top-load prices, followed by the percentage of respondents using them:

1. $2 (30.9%)
2. $1.75 (16.5%)
3. $2.25 and $2.50 (14.4% - tie)

There really isn’t much change in top-loader prices from a year ago. The $2 price remains the most popular, followed by $1.75. The only difference reported in this equipment type is in third place, where $1.50 and $2.25 were tied in last year’s survey.

An extremely small share of operators continue to charge $3 or more for a top-load wash. This is the third straight year that there have been multiple prices topping $3 reported in the survey.

The most popular prices for some of the small front loaders are:

• 18 pounds: $2
• 20 pounds: $2.50
• 25 pounds: $3

The lowest price reported in the above grouping is $1.25 (18-pound washer) and the highest is $6 (25-pound washer). Overall, the most popular small-front-loader prices reported in this year’s survey are comparable to last year’s.

The price range for a 30-pound wash is $2 to $6.50. Here are the most popular 30-pound prices, along with the percentages of respondents using them:

1. $3.50 (25%)
2. $3 (19.1%)
3. $3.75 (11.8%)

There was a tie between $3.50 and $3.75 for the most popular price for a 35-pound wash. Next in order are $4.50 and $3. The price range for a 35-pound wash is $2 to $5.50.

The most popular price for a 40-pound wash is $4, but $4.50 and $4.25 aren’t far behind. The most popular 50-pound wash price is $5, followed by $5.50 and $6. There was a three-way tie for the most popular price for a 55-pound wash: $5, $5.50 and $7.

The most popular price for a 60-pound wash is $6, unchanged from last year’s survey. The price range for an 80-pound wash is $5.75 to $13.50, with $8 and $8.25 tying as the most popular price.

Other prices reported were $9.75 and $15.25 for a 90-washer, $9.50 for a 100-pound washer and $14.99 for 125 pounds.

The operators to our survey vary year to year, so prices tend to vary. But the survey consistently has shown that operators offer a wide variety of front loaders (prices for 15 different capacities were logged in this year’s survey) with a broad price range.

Roughly 44% of respondents have raised or plan to raise washer prices this year, and 26.9% are undecided. The remaining 29.4% have not raised prices nor intend to do so.

DRYER PRICES

Raising dryer prices is something that operators have tended to shy away from, choosing instead to focus on washer price hikes. But it’s worth noting that some operators indicated that they have shortened cycle times in the past year. While customers in those stores aren’t paying a higher price, they are getting less drying per cycle.

Here are the most popular dryer prices, followed by the percentage of respondents using them:

1. 25 cents/5 minutes (19.1%)
2. 25 cents/7 minutes (18.3%)
3. 25 cents/6 minutes (13.9%)
4. 25 cents/8 minutes and 25 cents/10 minutes (10.4% - tie)

The No. 3 price from last year’s survey has jumped to No. 1 in this year’s. Seven minutes of drying time returned to the No. 2 slot after being bumped to No. 4 last year, while eight minutes of drying time fell from No. 2 last year to No. 4 this year, where it shared the spot with 10 minutes of drying time.

The 25-for-10 price, which was once an industry staple, picked up a couple of percentage points on last year’s result but still remains well down the list.

Once again, there was a wide variety of dryer prices reported. The most expensive (and longest) cycle was $1.75 for 35 minutes.

Roughly 18% of respondents have raised or plan to raise dryer prices this year, and 20.2% are undecided. The remaining 62.2% have not raised prices nor intend to do so.

PAYMENT TECHNOLOGY

More than 83% of respondents operate coin-only stores, 7.6% operate card-only stores, and 9.2% have operations that offer both payment types.

ATTENDED OR UNATTENDED?

Nearly 48% of respondents say their stores are fully attended. Roughly 29% say their stores are partially attended, and the remaining 23.1% say their stores are unattended.

DROP-OFF SERVICE PRICING

Drop-off-service pricing ranges from 70 cents to $3 per pound. Here are the most popular drop-off-service prices (per pound), followed by the percentage of respondents using them:

1. $1 (36%)
2. $1.25 (16%)
3. $1.10 (9.3%)

The drop-off-service prices remain similar to 2012 prices, and there is a wide variety of prices charged for the service. There were 20 different prices charged per pound in the responses to our survey.

Two-thirds of the respondents offer drop-off service, which is identical to last year’s survey.

Check back on Wednesday for the conclusion: Equipment Purchasing Trends, Turns Per Day, Common Management Problems, and more

CHICAGO — How do you think your self-service business compared to others in the industry last year? Did you have a good year or a bad year in 2011? How does your pricing compare with others?

American Coin-Op’s annual State of the Industry survey offers you the opportunity to compare your operation to others in the industry. It focuses on 2011/2012 business conditions, pricing, equipment, common problems, turns per day, and utilities cost.

The survey is an unscientific electronic poll of American Coin-Op readers who operate stores.

ADDING EQUIPMENT IN 2011

Approximately 45% of the respondents purchased at least one piece of equipment (washer, dryer, water heater, vender or changer) in 2011. In 2010, that figure was 47%.

Here’s a breakdown of the 2011 purchases:

• 23.6% of respondents purchased at least one top loader. The average purchase was 17.1 machines (it should be noted that this statistic includes a single operator’s reported purchase of 97 machines; when excluding that operator, the average purchase is 9.1 machines).

• 28.9% of respondents purchased at least one front loader (a breakdown by capacity follows below).

• 12.4% purchased at least one dryer (regular or stacked). The average purchase was 11.3 machines (it should be noted that this statistic includes a single operator’s reported purchase of 97 machines; when excluding that operator, the average purchase is 5.1 machines).

And we break it down further by front-load wash capacity:

• 42.9% purchased at least one machine with a capacity up to 25 pounds. The average purchase was 8.9 machines.

• 48.6% bought at least one machine with a capacity of 25-50 pounds. The average purchase was 4.2 machines.

• 37.1% purchased at least one machine with a capacity of more than 50 pounds. The average purchase was 1.8 machines.

(Editor’s note: Some respondents didn’t identify machine sizes, so the front-loader breakdown doesn’t include their purchases. Also, the percentages do not total 100% because some buyers purchased equipment in multiple capacity categories.)

SHOPPING IN 2012

Respondents were asked if they have bought, or plan on buying, any new machinery this year. Approximately 36% intend to add something (washer, dryer, water heater, vender or changer) to their mix, or already have done so. Last year, this figure was 47%.

• 6.6% of respondents have purchased or plan to purchase a new top loader this year. The average purchase is (or will be) 10.4 machines.

• 21.5% have purchased or plan to purchase a new front loader this year. (A breakdown by capacity follows below.)

• 14% plan on buying, or have already bought, a dryer in 2012. The average purchase is (or will be) 7.0 machines.

And we break things down further by front-load wash capacity:

• 34.6% purchased or plan to purchase at least one machine with a capacity up to 25 pounds. The average purchase was 6.0 machines.

• 30.8% bought at least one machine with a capacity of 25-50 pounds. The average purchase was 4.1 machines.

• 23.1% purchased at least one machine with a capacity of more than 50 pounds. The average purchase was 2.5 machines.

(Editor’s note: Some respondents didn’t identify machine sizes, so the front-loader breakdown doesn’t include their purchases. Also, the percentages do not total 100% because some buyers purchased equipment in multiple capacity categories.)

WE’VE GOT TROUBLE…

What problems cause you the most grief? Here are the top-five industry problems, according to the survey respondents:

1. High cost of utilities
2. Dealing with employees
3. A lack of customers
4. Poor economy
5. Equipment maintenance/repair issues

Gone from last year’s list is rent, although it did pop up on a number of surveys.

TURNS

The average turns per day for top loaders are 3.0, up slightly from last year (2.9). The average turns per day for a front loader is 3.8, also up from last year (3.4).

UTILITIES

We asked operators about their utilities cost (as a percentage of gross). The responses ranged from 5.6% to 50%. The most popular response is 25%, followed by 20%.

Operators are paying an average of 24.1% for utilities (as a percentage of gross).

2012 BUSINESS FORECAST

Slightly less than half of the respondents (47.5%) expect their 2012 business to be better than it was in 2011. Approximately 42% expect business to be about the same this year, and 10.8% expect their business to not perform as well this year as it did in 2011.

Click here for Part 1.

Click here for Part 2.

CHICAGO — How do you think your self-service business compared to others in the industry last year? Did you have a good year or a bad year in 2011? How does your pricing compare with others?

American Coin-Op’s annual State of the Industry survey offers you the opportunity to compare your operation to others in the industry. It focuses on 2011/2012 business conditions, pricing, equipment, common problems, turns per day, and utilities cost.

In instances where respondents were asked about 2011 business results, they were given the opportunity to state that their results were up, down or unchanged. This is a slight departure from previous surveys that asked only if their business results were up or down. Keep this in mind as you are making comparisons to previous years’ polls.

The survey is an unscientific electronic poll of American Coin-Op readers who operate stores. Some percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

2011 BUSINESS VS. 2010 BUSINESS

In 2011, nearly 45% of respondents saw their overall coin laundry business increase from 2010.

More specifically, 44.8% of operators reported an increase in business (gross dollar volume) in 2011 compared to 2010. In last year’s survey, 42% reported an increase in business, and two years ago, 40.2% reported a bump in business.

The average 2011 business increase is 11.5%, up from 10.8% in 2010. Other past increases were 7.9% (2009), 14% (2008) and 12.2% (2007).

Here’s a closer look at the 2011 business increases (these figures relate to those reporting an increase, not all the respondents):

• Operators with a business increase of less than 10%: 40.4%
• Operators with a business increase of 10-14%: 38.5%
• Operators with a business increase of 15% or greater: 21.2%

The largest single increase in 2011 was reported to be 50%.

Approximately 35% of respondents saw their business decrease (in gross dollar volume) last year. In our survey of 2010 business, 58% saw a drop in business. The percentage was 59.8% in 2009.

The average 2011 business decrease is 10.2%, down a bit from last year’s figure (11.2%). Previous averages were 13.7% in 2009, 14.3% in 2008 and 13.2% in 2007.

Were the losses consistent last year or did they vary? Here’s a closer look at the 2011 business decreases:

• Operators experiencing a business reduction of less than 10%: 56.1%
• Operators experiencing a business reduction of 10 to 14 %: 17.1%
• Operators experiencing a business reduction of 15 % or greater: 26.8%

The largest reported decrease in 2011 was 50%.

Approximately 20% of operators reported their 2011 business was unchanged compared to their 2010 results.

Overall, these results continue to reflect year-to-year improvement on average. The number of operators reporting an increase in business was up slightly from last year, as was the average business increase.

The average business decrease (10.2%) was a percentage point lower than the prior year. In addition, the number of operators suffering a large business reduction (15% or greater) shrunk from 31.7% in 2010 to 26.8% in 2011.

DROP-OFF-SERVICE BUSINESS

In a culture built on saving time and intent on finding ways to free up that precious commodity, drop-off service would look to be a popular choice for self-service laundry customers. But do the numbers bear that out?

Did drop-off service improve in 2011 or do customers still consider it a bit of a luxury?

Approximately 32% of respondents reported drop-off-service business (gross dollar volume) increased in 2011. For 2010, approximately 47% reported business increases.

The average drop-off-service business increase is 17.3%, four points higher than 2010’s increase of 13.3%. It should be noted that a handful of respondents reported an increase of more than 20%.

Roughly 24% saw a decrease in drop-off-service business. That is much lower than in 2010 (53%), but that could be attributed at least in part to survey-takers’ ability to list their drop-off service business as being unchanged.

The average decrease is 18.1%, down a bit from 2010’s figure (18.8%). In 2009, the average drop-off-service decrease was 24.2%.

Nearly 45% of respondents said their drop-off service business was unchanged from 2010.

Two-thirds of respondents offer some type of drycleaning service. Only 17.5% reported a business increase. The average business increase is 10.4%. The average business decrease is 15.1%.

VENDING RESULTS

Roughly 35% of the respondents had an increase in vending sales in 2011, slightly lower than 2010’s reported one-third. Approximately 31% saw their vending sales decrease in 2011, and 34.2% saw vending sales remain unchanged.

The average vending gain is 11.2%, up a bit from 2010’s figure (9.2%).

The average decrease in vending business is 11.0%, compared to 12% in 2010.

Check back on Monday for Part 2: Washer, Dryer and Drop-Off Service Pricing