Self-service laundries: depreciation eats profits

Self-service laundries: real business or accounting mirage?

As self-service laundries proliferate, the calculation attracting new investors repeats itself: twenty people daily spending seven euros on average yield €4,200 monthly revenue. After rent, soap, electricity, cleaning, and taxes, the margin nears €1,800. The uncomfortable question is whether this residual withstands machine depreciation.

€1,800 monthly: the gross income mirage

The most optimistic scenario starts with a modest premises. Twenty daily clients at a seven-euro average ticket generate €4,200 gross. From this, deduct €500 for rent, between €100 and €200 for consumables, and between €600 and €900 for cleaning and maintenance. With VAT and taxes, the result is about €1,800. The problem arises if footfall drops to ten people daily: then revenue doesn't even cover depreciation. No need to walk long to see empty shops early morning or during dead hours.

The hidden bill of machinery and licensing

Initial investment shatters quick profitability dreams. A franchise with four washers and four dryers exceeds €80,000. Setting up independently with about seven industrial machines and shop fit-out reduces to €25,000-30,000, but works are significant: drains, ventilation, electrical certificate, storefront, and payment system. Many cities require exhaust vents for dryers, a requirement that can leave the project without a license. They also consume power: four 6 kW dryers force contracting considerable electrical capacity.

Electricity adds breakdowns. An industrial washer doesn't forgive trousers with metal objects in pockets or sneakers with artificial turf studs. Repairs aren't cheap, and meanwhile the shop earns less.

Owned property, universities, and duvets: where the math works

Real cases ignite the issue. There's a model working in owned property, in an area of low commercial value but full of housing, where people come to wash duvets, curtains, and carpets, leaving happy to dry everything instantly. Another clear reference is university zones: around three private campuses, laundries are overwhelmed and new ones open yearly. Conversely, there are closed shops in Oviedo malls and businesses converted into hair salons. The difference isn't explained by the idea, but by location and, above all, rental pressure.

The suspicion that never closes: opaque money

A stain hovers over the sector. Shops with almost no customer flow that have stayed open for years invite suspicion. Some argue certain laundries serve to give appearance of economic activity to irregular funds. It's a hypothesis, not proven fact, but repeated enough for financial authorities to keep it on their radar. It's also recalled that bank credit easily financed many such openings, saturating the market with doubtful profitability venues.

With these numbers, self-service laundries look more like an accounting trap than a goldmine. The only sure winner is the machine manufacturer. For entrepreneurs, the business only fits specific corners: owned property, captive demand, and patience to endure lean billing months. The €1,800 monthly mirage dies when depreciation enters the scene.