Start a Lapels Cleaners Franchise in 2024

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $42K - $1.5M

Units as of 2024: 85 6% over 3 years

If you are looking for a green, environmentally-friendly market to enter, Lapels Dry Cleaning may be for you! As a pioneer in safe, sustainable dry cleaning, the business model of Lapels Dry Cleaning is personalized and scalable to each franchisee, allowing them to grow their business how they choose.

As the company's president and CEO for over 15 years, Kevin Dubois has managed to grow the business to several Lapels stores and has brought a customer-centric thought process to the Lapels business model. There are currently over 100 Lapels Dry Cleaning locations nationwide.

The company provides standard dry cleaning services, including general dry cleaning, laundering, wedding dress preservation, suede cleaning, leather cleaning, tailoring, alterations, shoe repair, fur cleaning, and rug cleaning.

Why You May Want to Start a Lapels Dry Cleaning Franchise

Lapels Dry Cleaning is a well-known name, and customers are comfortable and confident with Lapels. Customers also enjoy Lapels Dry Cleaning prices. By joining Lapels Dry Cleaning, you may benefit from the growing business.

A Lapels Dry Cleaning franchise can also operate with a small staff using machines to run your business. This could save you money, as you would not need to pay many employees.

What Might Make Lapels Dry Cleaning a Good Investment?

All Lapels Dry Cleaning stores are equipped and furnished with image and store design, training and ongoing support, a consistent customer experience, operations manuals, and a point-of-sale computer system. This way, both the customers and franchisees like you can receive continuous assistance as they begin their franchise.

You also have the opportunity to use full-time software technical assistance, support for corporate employees, occasional workshops, and meeting and training sessions with other Lapels franchisees. You will receive hands-on training at a Lapels Dry Cleaning store and Lapels headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

At Lapels Dry Cleaning, veterans are prioritized. They are offered a significant discount in the franchise fee, which is variable in itself.

How Do You Open a Lapels Dry Cleaning Franchise?

Of course, the Lapels' cleaning franchise cost varies depending on the option you are interested in. You can operate a dry cleaning facility, a new store, or an existing store, with each cost varying in amount.

A dry cleaning facility, store, or existing store will require a certain amount in net worth. You will also need to meet a certain amount in liquid capital. The total investment could vary depending on your franchise choice. For any of these options, be prepared to pay a franchise fee and additional startup fees. Additionally, franchisees have the opportunity for a 10-year renewable term at the end of their contract if both they and the franchisor are satisfied with the franchise’s progress.

To become a franchisee, you can submit an inquiry with the company. By discussing your qualifications and goals as a franchisee, you and the company will tell whether you are a good fit and determine your direction with the brand.

If you continue in the process of becoming a franchisee, you will meet higher-ups in Lapels Dry Cleaning and fill out paperwork. Once all of the documents are filled out and signed, you will be a member of the Lapels Dry Cleaning family.

Company Overview

About Lapels Cleaners

Industry	Services (Other)
Related Categories	Dry Cleaning & Laundry Services
Founded	2000
Parent Company	Next Step Franchising LLC
Leadership	Kevin DuBois, CEO
Corporate Address	711 5th Ave. S., #210 Naples, FL 34102
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2001 (23 years)
# of employees at HQ	24
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises worldwide. This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	85 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Lapels Cleaners franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$25,000 - $50,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$41,500 - $1,496,600
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$100,000 - $500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$15,000 - $250,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	20% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Lapels Cleaners has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	123 hours
Classroom Training	10 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
# of employees required to run	4
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes