Nowadays, Chinese community services are upgrading. The laundry industry is no longer limited to traditional business streets and community storefronts. Innovative locations and business models are emerging quickly. Laundry shops near bus stations provide convenient garment care services relying on commuter traffic. This is a valuable business case study. It brings about new operational ideas for laundry operators worldwide.
Innovative Laundry Model
The “bus station + dry cleaning” service model was created in Huaian, Jiangsu Province. It combines public transportation traffic and laundry services. This store is located near the major urban transit hub. It is surrounded by multiple residential communities. It makes use of commuter traffic. Thus, customers can handle garment care during daily commuting routines.
The store opened in August 2024. Six days after opening, 829 residents became members, generating over 167,000 RMB in revenue. By May 2026, the store had been operating for 22 months. B2C customers generated 317,000 RMB in revenue. 660,000 RMB in revenue was generated by B2B bulk orders from property management companies, enterprises, and institutions. The total revenue exceeds 970,000 RMB, achieving outstanding business results.
Operating Advantages
Traditional laundry shops face various pain points, such as customer acquisition challenges, low store visit rates, and seasonal fluctuations. Many consumers think that they should spend time picking up and dropping off garments. The processes are complex. So, they reduce the frequency of garment laundry. However, this “bus station + laundry” store addresses this pain point. Consumers deliver garments to the store while waiting for the bus. They can pick up garments during the commute home. This model integrates laundry services into spare time during commuting, which greatly reduces consumers’ time costs. Meanwhile, the store makes scenario-based marketing through bus advertisements, bus stops, and wayfinding signs. Without high offline advertising investment, it can reach a large number of local potential customers. This significantly reduces customer acquisition costs.
Traffic is only the foundation. If laundry shops want to achieve long-term profitability, the key is still professional laundry expertise and reliable equipment. The store handles regular garments and high-value fabrics, such as wool, silk, and down. Besides B2C retail business, it expands B2B bulk orders from property management companies, schools, enterprises, and institutions. Currently, the store has developed a dual-track business model “B2C customers + B2B bulk orders”. This effectively offsets seasonal fluctuations in the laundry industry. It maintains stable store revenue.
Kingstar Solutions
As a manufacturer of commercial and industrial laundry equipment, Kingstar has been deeply involved in the global laundry market. It can provide equipment solutions for innovative community laundry shops. Kingstar products cover regular commercial washers, dryers, and wet cleaning machines for delicate fabrics. They are suitable for community laundry shops, laundromats, and integrated garment care centers. They can efficiently process ordinary garments and delicate fabrics. Meanwhile, they can ensure cleaning performance, protect fabric, and improve operational efficiency. Therefore, stores can convert traffic into repeat customers.
This store in Huaian proves that a good business model requires reliable laundry equipment and standardized service systems. The combination of traffic, equipment, and service can convert convenience advantages into operating revenues.
Conclusion
The key to this successful business model is simple. It makes full use of traffic from public spaces. It targets essential consumer demands. It also builds a good reputation relying on standardized laundry services. At the same time, it develops retail and bulk businesses. The investment in this project is controllable. The operating processes are standardized. It is suitable for laundry entrepreneurs who want to be rooted in communities for long-term businesses.
At present, this operational idea “public scenario + community laundry shop” has been followed by many regions in China. Many cities are starting to lay out integrated laundry shops surrounding bus stations, transportation hubs, and community public facilities. Combined with their local customer sources, they replicate this laundry business model that has low customer acquisition costs and high convenience value. For overseas laundry investors and operators, this Chinese model has passed through market validation. It can be adjusted based on local public transportation systems and residents’ consumption habits. This model provides a new business opportunity in the community laundry market segment.
Q&A
Q1: What is the biggest advantage of the “bus station + laundry shop”?
A1: The model is based on the traffic from public spaces. This reduces customer acquisition costs for advertisements. It integrates picking up and delivering garments into spare time during commuting. Customers are more willing to visit the store. For B2C and B2B businesses, it also addresses the operating issues during peak and off seasons.
Q2: What core laundry equipment should be installed in this integrated community laundry shop?
A2: The basic equipment is commercial washers and dryers. Professional wet cleaning machines can be used for delicate fabrics (wool and silk). Kingstar can provide complete equipment solutions.
Q3: Can this model be replicated in overseas markets?
The model can be used for reference. But it should be adjusted based on local public transportation systems, residents’ consumption habits, and B2C client sources. The domestic operation details cannot be directly copied.
