Try making a clean impression

While the trade clearly knows cleaning inside out and seems to understand how to push the run of the mill services, how many actually consider how the little extras and appearance an have an outsized impact on the bottom line?

A new refit, products on the counter, ancillary services and storage can make all the difference.

Graham Warren, sales director of Caraselle, says his firm strives to give drycleaners “the leading edge in presentation with fast selling retail products.” He says that for example, the firm’s continuous development of moth killer products - including their point of sale material - is allowing many drycleaners to reap the benefits of selling their exclusive range.

Warren points to the combination of the Caraselle moth both ‘What’s Eating You?’  and a customised laminated moth map with a shop’s name and location. He says this highlights the moth problem for the customer and shows them the level of infestation in their area. He adds: “We provide wonderful posters of moth damage to highlight the problem and these three elements go hand in hand to help educate the customer of the moth pandemic which currently exists in the UK.”

Caraselle also offers a compact counter display unit that features some of their best sellers - their Good Housekeeping Institute approved lint rollers and refills, Orphea strips to protect cashmere and wool, and the Acana moth killers. “These units have performed well in these locations around the country and have increased sales in same cases by as much as 300 percent,” says Warren. The unit is made of strong durable polypropylene and is compact enough for most counter tops.

Laundries planning to refurbish their shop could, says Warren, call Caraselle to get advice for selling retail products better before the layout is finalised. “We offer businesses the ‘Caraselle camera phone test’.” Here, a photo of the shop and the free space is sent in together with dimensions, and Caraselle runs it through their merchandising software. The results are them sent back to the business for their consideration. Warren says: “Most of our customers are bowled over by this service.”

But going back to ‘the ongoing moth pandemic’, Warren reminds shops that customers not only want help and advice but also products to prevent further moth damage. He says: “Remember this ‘biggy’ - you customers cannot generally insure against moth damage on their home contents insurance policy so any damage is directly hitting their pocket.” By offering sound advice along with a well-presented display of moth repellents, the Caraselle moth book and Peva covers Warren says cleaners will be doing their customers a great service while creating extra profits.

Caraselle will be running moth seminars to existing Caraselle customers as part of their service.