Time-Crunched Families, Perpetual Dust Leads to Record Franchise Growth for Molly Maid

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National Brand Sweeps Home Cleaning Segment with Record Growth in 2007

January 16, 2008 // Franchising.com // Ann Arbor, MI – As the tightening economy created busier – and messier – American households, 2007 marked an immaculate year of franchise growth of Molly Maid. Expansion throughout the United States continued with Molly Maid opening more than 40 units in five previously untapped markets. Cleaning an average of two homes every minute in the United States alone, Molly Maid generated over $155 million in sales.

Molly Maid's outlook for 2008 is even brighter. In fact, executives of the approximately 450-unit professional home cleaning service franchise project to open at least 40 new locations for a conservative $20 million increase in system-wide sales. Projections are based on current franchise deals in the works, as well as government statistics indicating a healthy demand for outside housecleaning services in the upcoming year.

"To date, Molly Maid has cleaned 17 million households around the world, and the U.S. Department of Commerce expects 80 percent of two-income households to use an outside cleaning service by the end of 2008," said Molly Maid President Kristi Mailloux. "As the most trusted name in the residential cleaning segment, we're ideally positioned for continued growth to meet demand in one of the fastest growing industries in the country."

Mailloux points to industry estimates showing more than 12 million households using paid domestic services, and two-thirds of women working outside the home. Perhaps that's why more than 4,000 blue Molly Maid cars, donning the distinctive pink logo, can be seen on American roadways at any given time, on their way to create peace of mind for a growing majority of the country's dual-income households.

In addition to the United States, Molly Maid professionals clean thousands of homes throughout Puerto Rico, Canada, England, Japan and Portugal. The Molly Maid business model prides itself on professional, quality services for the families it serves. A trained team of two uniformed home cleaning professionals arrive at each customer's home, complete with all cleaning equipment and supplies. Each Molly Maid cleaning professional is required to complete an extensive quality training program before going out to customers' homes. All employees are screened and properly insured.

Mailloux doesn't see any slowdown for the home cleaning segment – ever. "Studies show that the economy doesn't affect the category," she said. "In any type of economic downturn, people don't give up cleaning services. Our typical customer gets his or her house cleaned every other week."

Within the solid residential cleaning segment, Molly Maid franchise owners are backed by marketing, training and continuous support from the home office in Ann Arbor, MI. While trained employees clean the homes, franchise owners handle hiring, sales and marketing aspects of the business. Molly Maid franchisees also enjoy giving back to the communities they serve through the Ms. Molly Foundation, a non-profit foundation that supports victims of domestic violence and their families. Since its inception in 1996, the foundation has raised more than $500,000 for local domestic violence shelters throughout the United States and Canada.

Molly Maid is currently seeking qualified franchise candidates in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, and throughout New England.

About Molly Maid

Molly Maid, based in Ann Arbor, MI, is one of three service companies under Service Brands International. The residential cleaning franchise, ranked number one in the United States, was founded in 1979 and began franchising in 1984. Currently, over 450 Molly Maid units are operating in the United States alone, with an additional 300 operating throughout Puerto Rico, Canada, Japan, England and Portugal. Molly Maid has been the recipient of numerous awards for entrepreneurialism, software innovation and humanitarian causes, including the Ms. Molly Foundation, which collects money and goods for safe houses and shelters for victims of domestic violence.