July 10, 2017 // Franchising.com // Hollywood, FL - OXXO Care Cleaners®, the environmentally friendly garment cleaning franchise that was first to use GreenEarth® solvents while offering 24/7 ATM-style service, shares eight dry cleaning myths that the franchise has broken to date.
“Apart from the level of service and quality we offer our customers,” says Salomon Mishaan, OXXO’s Founder & CEO, “we started OXXO in 2000 to solve once and for all the severe problems traditional dry cleaners cause the community, clothing and the environment. Despite a lot of recent hype about green cleaning, OXXO is still the only cleaning franchise, worldwide, that strictly requires the use of GreenEarth®, and fully electric equipment. Our Indonesia franchisee, Henry Soesanto, looked across the globe for a modern, green, environmentally responsible dry cleaner and identified OXXO as the only option,” says Mishaan.
Following are eight myths of dry cleaning that OXXO breaks.
Since the opening of the first store in Hollywood, Florida in 2002, Salomón Mishaan OXXO Care Cleaners®, Franchise Founder, decided to enforce the use of a dermatologic and eco-friendly cleaning solvent called “GreenEarth®, ” instead of the commonly used chemical perc (Perchloroethylene) a carcinogenic which is unhealthy for both human skin and garments, and that emits vapors so strong that most dry cleaners have to leave doors open permanently. He also eliminated the traditional industrial steam boiler system which works off fossil fuels and vapor piping that emit heat to warm equipment, installing instead independently heated (electric) equipment, allowing for the air-conditioned boutique style concept imported from Europe.
Eliminating the industrial steam boiler and using a safe and healthy cleaning solvent, as well as remodeling the look of the traditional dry cleaner and installing a 24/7 Style pickup system has allowed OXXO to experience a fast payback as the franchise has opened doors dozens of shopping malls, OXXO which are what landlord desire, which previously held certain resistance to cleaners due to the volatility of the boilers and to strong chemical odors and contamination.
Mishaan decided to enter this sector because he saw that dry cleaning lacked innovation. He was looking to make people’s lives easier and improve living standards via convenience, quality and nontoxic environmental safety. While he wasn’t familiar with the industry’s details, he brought with him all of his experience from the textile industry. From the beginning, he knew that he and his team had to transform the traditional system and generate a distinctive and better offering. Instead of surrounding himself only with experienced persons in the service industry, he also incorporated a team of technicians with industrial experience. Mishaan and his team had dedicated their entire lives to generating efficiency and convenience. This formula is what has tilted the balance in their favor.
The inspiration for this Colombo-Venezuelan entrepreneur came from Europe, where ironing takes place both in front of the customer and can be observed through the store window. In OXXO®’s boutiques, this occurs for practical reasons like space limits, but Mishaan discovered it to be excellent for marketing and promotion purposes.
A great franchise, however, is not born solely from using modern high-tech machinery and a novel idea. Between 2000 and 2001, a team of executives and industrialists led by Mishaan reinvigorated the concepts of customer service, marketing and service processing and created OXXO® tailored use, maintenance, and operation manuals for franchisees.
From a functional perspective, each store can clean up to 700 garments in twelve hours with just seven employees, including the manager on duty. The shop’s internal system is computerized and automated. This combination of planning and technology leads to savings in space, time and money and drastically reduces the possibility for human error.
With just above average industry prices, clothing is returned by the third day, although OXXO® also can deliver same day service upon request. Most stores offer alterations and dry cleaning services. “We are trying to educate the client by teaching them that it is always best to have their shirts delivered on hangers and to use little starch,” indicates Mishaan.
Customer service at OXXO® goes beyond a friendly smile and on-time delivery of gently cleaned garments. OXXO was the first cleaning franchise in the United States to allow customers the option of picking up their clothing at any hour through an innovative 24/7 ATM-style pick up machine with an intelligent magnetic card or QR code on their phone.
Store employees are trained to pay meticulous attention to each and every garment and customer and if a potential franchisee doesn’t possess the necessary qualities of business leadership, the franchise goes unsold.
Mishaan takes care of every detail which is probably why he has an impeccable and wrinkle-free brand. “Entrepreneur” magazine has ranked OXXO® among the top five hundred best new franchises in the United States. It should surprise no one that OXXO® aims to enter into the best 100 franchises in the country next year. In the meantime, starchy competitors are trying to follow his footsteps, but this visionary’s brand has succeeded in racing so far ahead and its continuous upgrades, that makes it hard for anyone to catch up.
OXXO® is an environmentally-responsible dry-cleaning franchise in the United States. At OXXO®, customers experience the ultimate in garment care with the use of environmentally safe GreenEarth solvents (no use of Perc (Perchloroethylene) chemicals common at other dry cleaners) and now TOP Terra for regular laundry, the latest 24/7 ATM-style pick up service, the most technologically advanced European manufactured garment care equipment and the traditional method of hand-ironing. All garments are cleaned right the first time and personally inspected by OXXO® garment care specialists to ensure superior handling and meticulous attention to detail. Visit www.oxxousa.com for more information and the OXXO® nearest you. For more information about the OXXO Care Cleaners® franchise opportunity, call 1.866.462.6996.
Beatriz Arana
Beatriz.arana@energiacommunications.com
SOURCE OXXO®
OXXO Care Cleaners® is an eco-friendly dry cleaning franchise headquartered in Hollywood, Florida.