CHICAGO — Most dry cleaners rue the trend that has seen many dress codes shift to business casual, and more than three-quarters of respondents (76.1%) to this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com Wire survey say the ongoing movement toward casual clothing in the workplace has had a major impact on the industry.
Approximately 22% say the business casual dress code has had a “minor impact,” and 2.2% say it has had no impact.
What impact has casual clothing had on overall drycleaning sales volume in the last few years? Roughly 43% say their sales have decreased substantially (more than 5%) each year, and 31.8% say theirs has decreased slowly (0-5%).
Nearly 14% say their sales have been flat. Sales have increased slowly (0-5%) each year for 6.8% of respondents, and 4.5% say their sales have increased substantially (more than 5%).
So, what if anything, has your plant done to respond to this trend? Among Wire survey respondents, 53.3% have explored new sidelines to fill excess plant capacity and 46.7% have targeted casual clothing as a source of business.
