Content about StatShots

CHICAGO — Dry cleaning sales were a mixed bag in February, with two regions reporting minimal to modest gains while the other two lamented losses around 6%, according to results of this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

An unseasonably warm, dry winter helped sales rebound in February 2012, but the weather wasn’t quite so favorable this February.

The West had the largest month-to-month sales increase at 3.5%. The South followed with a slight bump of 0.5%. Respondents from the Midwest and the Northeast saw their sales fall into the red—by 5.3% and 6.6%, respectively.

“Volume is down. Nothing else has changed dramatically, but sales have dropped off in first-quarter 2013,” says a cleaner from the Northeast. “We are down almost 5%, and I am trying to figure out why.”

“Conditions are stable but not improving,” says a Midwest respondent. “January sales gains were wiped out by snow days in February.”

CHICAGO — The West was the only region to register increased dry cleaning sales in both December and the fourth quarter of 2012 when compared to the same periods the previous year, according to the results of this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

Operators in the West saw upswings of 3.6% in December-to-December sales and 4.4% in quarter-to-quarter sales. Several operators said they are seeing signs of growth in their areas, but some expressed caution about consumer uncertainty the “fiscal cliff” warnings has caused.

“Good pickup for the holiday season,” says one. “Slow in comparison to the good ol’ days. Cold weather (is) helping to keep winter wear in use where (it’s) normally not so cold.”

“Some industries are starting to trend up,” adds another. “Home prices and sales are slowly moving up. The dry cleaning and laundry industry are still pretty flat. Pickup and delivery services seem to be gaining where front-door retail is flat.”

CHICAGO – October proved to be a good month for dry cleaning sales, according to the latest AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey, with every region reporting a year-to-year increase of at least 1.7%.

When comparing October dry cleaning sales to those tallied in October 2011, the South was the big winner with a 6.5% increase. Sales rose 6.1% in the Northeast, 4.5% in the West, and 1.7% in the Midwest, according to results of the unscientific survey. Nationally, sales rose 4.6% in October from the prior year, on average.

The Northeast’s bottom line benefited from paying lower utility costs in October, down 2.5% on average from October 2011. Utility costs went up in every other region, but by less than 2%. Costs were up 0.4% in the South, 0.7% in the West and 1.7% in the Midwest.

“Our market had one cleaner close in July of this year,” says an operator from the South. “Our (sales) increases reflect that, but also seem to indicate a bit of strengthening.” But another cautions, “Watch out for that cliff,” apparently referring to the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

CHICAGO – The West and Northeast reported increased sales in August from one year ago, while dry cleaners in the Midwest and South saw their collective sales fall just short of August 2011 levels, according to the latest AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

When comparing first-half profits for 2012 to those for 2011, the only region reporting growth was the West, and it was minimal.

In comparing August 2012 sales to August 2011, the West saw a 6.3% increase. Sales in the Northeast rose 2.4%. The South and the Midwest saw their collective sales each drop 0.2% from August 2011.

First-half profits this year in the West topped 2011’s first-half results by 0.5%. The other regions reported declining profits when compared to the previous year’s January through June: Northeast, down 4.0%; South, down 2.1%; Midwest, down 0.3%.

CHICAGO – Last year at this time, it was three of four regions reporting June sales increases compared to the prior year. This year, it’s just the opposite, according to the results of this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

The Northeast was the only region to register a June-to-June sales boost, and it was only 0.6%. Sales were down an identical 0.6% in the West, 3.4% in the South and 4.8% in the Midwest.

As for the second quarter, April through June, the numbers improved slightly. The Northeast posted a 1.0% quarter-to-quarter increase compared to 2011, followed closely by the West at 0.9%. Quarterly sales were down 1.6% in the Midwest and 2.7% in the South.

As one might imagine from those figures, comments offered by dry cleaners were somewhat gloomy:

CHICAGO — Dry cleaning sales grew between 2.0% and 2.4% in every region of the United States last month, the latest AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey reports. Meanwhile, all regions report having decreased payrolls since this time last year.

When business results for April were compared to the same month last year, operators in the Northeast collectively posted the biggest gain at 2.4%, followed by the South (2.2%), Midwest (2.1%) and West (2.0%).

“We are seeing much higher sales (up 18% from last year) in our store than other cleaners in our surrounding area (within 10 miles),” says an operator from the West. “It’s probably due to our pricing (we’re discounted dry cleaners with $2.50 base price), along with our smart marketing/ads and improvement in quality of press with new equipment.”

“Steady. The Midwest economy has been steady the past 6-9 months due in part to the ag industry and supporting businesses,” adds a Midwest cleaner.

CHICAGO — What a difference a year makes.

Heavy winter storms affected every region of the nation in February 2011, plunging dry cleaning sales to bone-chilling depths. But thanks to an unseasonably warm, dry winter in most parts of the country this February, sales rebounded in a big way, according to results of this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

Every region posted healthy gains in February compared to February 2011, with the Northeast’s 8.7% increase leading the way. Next was the Midwest with a 7.8% gain, followed by the South at 6.6% and the West at 4.3%.

Nationally, 76.2% of respondents posted year-to-year sales increases.

“The mild winter produced better-than-expected sales in 2012,” says an operator in the Northeast. “Last winter was so harsh on the East Coast, we lost almost 10 days of work between blizzards and power outages, that this winter season was a breeze. Although there was much less heavy-coat and winter-garment cleaning, we did pick up volume just because we were able to stay open and people were able to get to work.”

CHICAGO — Dry cleaning sales rose in every region in December and the fourth quarter of 2011, according to this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

The West saw the biggest upswings: 6.3% in December (compared to December 2010) and 9.7% for the quarter (compared to fourth-quarter 2010). One operator characterized business as “stable and improving,” while another says his/her yearly sales are up 6% overall.

Sales grew 4.4% among cleaners in the Northeast in December, and 2.1% for the quarter. “We grew 10% organically and added another 10% growth through acquisitions,” says one cleaner.

But reports out of the Northeast aren’t all rosy. “It’s bad,” laments one operator there. “I have been bleeding for three years. Been in business for 55 years. (I) had 18 in help (but am) down to 11.” Others report discounting their services heavily and finding it difficult to obtain new route customers.

CHICAGO – The Northeast was the lone bright spot for October dry cleaning sales, posting a 2.6% gain compared to sales for October 2010, according to the latest AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

In comparing October 2011 sales to October 2010, the West saw a 0.6% decrease and the Midwest a 1.8% decline. The South was hit the hardest, with sales down 2.6% from a year earlier.

“It’s still scary out there, but we have managed to put together three really good months,” says a Southern operator. Another adds, “Last three weeks have shown a slight but steady increase in laundry and dry cleaning. Household items are about the same.”

“Since our town put in a smoking ban at bars and restaurants, we have been seeing a slowdown in dry cleaning,” reports a Midwestern dry cleaner. But another operator in the region says their sales have been up three months in a row after three years of almost steady decline.

“We used to live on cash flow,” laments an operator from the West. “Now, we are behind.”

CHICAGO – The West and Northeast reported small increases in August sales from one year ago, while operators in the Midwest and South saw their collective sales fail to reach August 2010 levels, according to the latest AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

When comparing first-half profits for 2011 to those for 2010, the only region reporting growth was the West.

In comparing August 2011 sales to August 2010, the West saw a 0.8% increase. Sales in the Northeast rose 0.7%. The South saw its collective sales fall 1.2% from August 2010, while sales in the Midwest dropped 3.2%.

First-half profits this year in the West topped 2010’s first-half results by 1.8%. The other regions reported declining profits when compared to the previous year’s January through June: South, down 3.9%; Northeast, down 5%; and the Midwest, down 6.2%.

“Sales are up but, as you see, profits are not up as much because expenses are also up,” writes an operator from the South.

CHICAGO – While three of the four regions reported June sales increases compared to the prior year, the numbers were relatively flat nationwide, according to this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

The West registered the biggest June-to-June sales boost of 3.0%. The Midwest was up 1.2%, the Northeast 1.1% and the South 0.7%. Nationally, monthly sales increased 1.7% compared to June 2010.

“Business is very good despite summer,” says an operator from the West. “Best summer we have had in six years, but my area has a lot of movie business, so (I) don’t know if it’s typical.”

Another Western operator reported having their best month in 37 months, and July was up 13% at the time they took the survey.

“Piece count is relatively flat; our revenue increase is due entirely to a price increase we enacted in early April,” a Northeastern operator elaborated.

“I suppose 1% up is better than 1% down,” laments an operator from the South. “Still same prices. No changes in three years (and) 15% down from 2008 numbers.”