MIAMI — International laundry service franchise Mr Jeff has signed an agreement with Clean Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in growth-stage laundry companies, to “ignite the U.S. expansion” of the franchise, the organizations announced jointly.
Industry leaders who have collectively built hundreds of laundromats across the United States manage Clean Ventures. One of them is Peter Stern, senior vice president of Clean Rite Centers, a laundry service superstore with more than 200 locations across North America, mainly in shopping centers and high-traffic pad sites.
Through the mutually beneficial deal—which includes an investment by Clean Ventures and a partnership with Clean Rite stores—Mr Jeff can leverage Clean Rite’s established customer base by operating inside select Clean Rite laundromats.
Clean Rite will benefit from Mr Jeff’s innovative business model and marketing expertise to expand its customer services and revenue streams.
The partnership came after an audit process of 4,500 hours, including personal interviews with hundreds of Mr Jeff franchises from more than 20 countries. It will kick off this summer with a pilot test of Mr Jeff operating within three Clean Rite stores in New York (two in Brooklyn and one in Queens) and one in Columbus.
Eloi Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Mr Jeff, says the U.S. market is “incredibly important” to the franchise.
“The agreement with Clean Ventures is not only one of capital investment but also a collaboration in helping Mr Jeff enter, grow and navigate through the U.S. market,” Gomez says. “They will be an invaluable asset to assist with real estate development and help us make the appropriate connections through their network of operators and premier vendor relationships.”
“The Mr Jeff brand and company as a whole is incredibly innovative and efficient,” says Stern, who is also managing director of Clean Ventures. “The fragmented laundry industry here in the United States lacks that innovation and the tech side of the business. Through this agreement, which will include integration with our Cents platform, Mr Jeff can provide technology insight, reservation systems, membership models, and customer data and acquisitions never before seen in the laundry sector.”
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