Fancy HLaundromat “La Marie” wins the “MyLaverieAward” 2022!
The results of the 2022 “MaLaverieAward” competition have just been announced!
The most beautiful French laundry 2022, equipped with Electrolux Professional equipment, is “La Marie” located in Saint Junien in Haute Vienne.
What are the specificities of this laundromat? Why did the jury made up of laundry professionals vote for this establishment? Owner and installer present the secrets of the concept to us, the competition manager explains the jury’s choices.
From the idea to the development of the “La Marie” laundry
When we arrive in rue Gabriel Péri in Saint Junien, the walls of a colorful sign catch the eye of passers-by and motorists : this is the “La Marie” laundromat.
The exterior, in lapis lazuli blue, does not leave anyone indifferent and immediately arouses the interest of passers-by. Once through the door of the establishment, a warm space opens up to us.
Anaïs Barbot, manager of the “La Marie” laundry, explains the genesis of her project:
“In 2021, we bought a building in the center of Saint Junien to rent apartments. The ground floor of the building had a space available for a commercial activity. My husband and I were both employees and we wanted to find an activity that could be compatible with our full-time professional activities. We headed to a laundromat.”
The laundry activity quickly became a full-time activity for Anaïs Barbot:
“There are two laundries close to our building, one in the bungalow and another in the store. We had some apprehensions at the start, because not being in the business, we immediately noticed that we could have competition. After 1 year of activity, our laundry has become profitable. I therefore devoted myself full-time to this activity in addition to renting the rooms in the building”.
“Why Electrolux Professional?”
Maxime Toubin, the competition organizer and laundry specialist at Electrolux Professional, explains the reasons why “La Marie” was voted the most beautiful laundry 2022:
“This year, the results were very close. Many laundries with strong concepts and interesting designs participated in the competition. La Laverie La Marie stood out for its originality, its concept, its spaces, its design and for the variety of Electrolux Professional machines used.
La Marie offers an innovative concept that is very oriented towards the expectations of its customers. Laundromat users are now looking for places to live that are trendy, stylish and allow them to have a good time while their laundry is spinning. The coworking space with free wifi is a very popular universe for students and working people. Some work on their courses while others watch series.
The play area is also an interesting idea. It is not always easy to make young children wait for several tens of minutes. Having this type of space can allow parents to come with their children and make families have a good time. These original and friendly spaces make it possible to retain customers and bring them back to the store.
In the case of the “La Marie” laundromat, the analysis of the catchment area was the key to adapting the overall layout of the laundromat to demand”.
An original laundry concept to stand out from the competition
Anaïs Barbot has developed an original concept in the sector:
“We wanted to stand out with a cosy, comfortable and pleasant laundry concept where customers feel at home. The preferred materials are wood and stone. We have arranged an armchair and a canopy to make the place comfortable and atypical. We left an old fireplace that gives style and added green plants to give warmth to the space”.
Two areas have also been set up so that customers can have fun or work while washing their laundry:
– A 3-seat coworking space with free wifi
– A children’s area for the activity of toddlers:
“These two spaces already welcome regulars who work with their computers or even families who also come to spend time with their young children. We have a heterogeneous clientele. About as many women as men who live in the area. They wash clothes as well as duvet covers with the winter period approaching. The clients of my apartments also come to clean their personal laundry. For my part, I clean the bed linen as well as the towels of my rented rooms. We also have the local rugby club which cleans the shirts, shorts and other bibs every week”.
A complete line of washers and dryers suitable for laundromats
In terms of washing and drying equipment, the “La Marie” laundromat is equipped with professional equipment from the Line 6000 Electrolux Professional range, as explained by the company ERT – LS Services based near Rennes:
“We supported the La Marie laundry from the start of the project. The Line 6000 range of professional washers and dryers is totally adapted to laundromats. It is easy to use with its large, intuitive and truly customizable control screen. The innovations of this material make it possible to save energy in the long term, to save time and to act sustainably. These laundry equipment are also the only ones on the market to be certified 4 stars by the independent organization ErgoCert for their ergonomics.”
To start, we installed :
- 2 x 7kg Line 6000 front washers
- 1 Line 6000 front washers of 11kg
- 2 Line 6000 front washers of 20kg
- 1 double Line 6000 dryer of 17kg
Given the success of her laundry, Anaïs Barbot asked us to increase the number of machines. At the beginning of next year, we plan to install 2 additional Line 6000 washers of 11kg and 1 double Line 6000 dryer of 17kg.