Lavanderia Sole
Laundromat in Milan, Italy
$114,68012-mo revenue
+7%vs last year
1Employees
Verified via SumUp + Open Banking
Laundromat in Bristol, UK
Suds & Co Laundrette
Since 2016 · owner Priya Nair
$157,310Revenue, last 12 months
+6%vs last year
$13,109Average month
3Employees
12 months to Sep 2026Verified via Square + Open BankingUpdated yesterday
About this business
Suds & Co Laundrette is a laundromat in Bristol, founded in 2016 and run by Priya Nair. It has 3 staff.
“Machines don't call in sick. The lease is the only thing that keeps me up at night.” — Priya Nair
How Suds & Co Laundrette stays in business
Suds & Co runs 22 card-only machines on a long lease with capped rent reviews, and has added wash-and-fold accounts for steady volume. It has stayed profitable through years of rising utility costs.
Main risk managed: Lease terms & rent increasesVs last year +6%
Part 1How Priya built it
Part 2What’s working
Priya Nair bought an ageing Bristol laundrette in 2016. Its rent was reviewed every three years, and half the machines needed coins and constant repair.
In 2019 she negotiated a new 10-year lease with rent reviews capped at 3% a year, in exchange for refitting the shop. In 2022 she replaced 12 machines with card-only, low-water models, cutting water use by about 28% and ending cash handling.
Wash-and-fold for local cafés, gyms and holiday lets now brings in steady weekday volume. With seven years left on the lease and the machines in good shape, Priya is selling because she's moving to Scotland, not because the business is struggling.
Part 3The numbers behind it
Over the last 12 months Suds & Co Laundrette took $157,310, 6% more than the year before. Its best month was Jan 2026 at $14,220 and its quietest was Jun 2026 at $12,020, a swing that matches the trade's pattern: steady, slight winter peak.
Average monthly revenue is higher than 56% of the 64 verified laundromats in the UK. Every revenue figure comes from Square and Open Banking.
Financial snapshot
How it compares
Average month vs 64 verified laundromats in the UK. It earned more than 56% of them.
This business
Bottom 10% $5.5kTypical $11.9kTop 10% $25.7k
Middle halfMiddle 80%Typical
Part 4How Suds & Co Laundrette wins new customers
- 1
Google search and Maps
Biggest source“A full Google Maps listing brings in calls every week without paying for adverts.”
About 7 in 10 laundromats do this
- 2
Vans, signs and uniforms
“A clear sign and a clean uniform bring in people who walk or drive past.”
About 6 in 10 laundromats do this
- 3
Word of mouth
“One good job on a street usually brings two more. We leave a card with the next three doors.”
About 7 in 10 laundromats do this
What Suds & Co Laundrette doesn’t use yet
Room to grow: how many laundromats in the UK use each one.
- Online reviews6 in 10 do
- Social media4 in 10 do
- Contracts and tenders3 in 10 do
- Local partnerships3 in 10 do
- Email and text reminders2 in 10 do
- Paid ads2 in 10 do
- Door knocking and flyers2 in 10 do
- Marketplaces and apps1 in 10 do
- Local events and sponsorship1 in 10 do
What Priya learned
The lease is the business
Capped rent reviews mean the biggest cost is known for years ahead. Priya calls it the most valuable document the business owns.
Spend on efficiency early
The new machines cost $79k, but lower water and energy bills and no cash handling paid it back in under four years.
Accounts smooth the week
Walk-in trade peaks at weekends. Wash-and-fold accounts fill Tuesday to Thursday.
How Priya guards against the common failures
RiskWhat Priya doesCheck your own business
Risk
Lease terms & rent increases
What Priya does
10-year lease signed in 2019 with reviews capped at 3%; seven years remain.
Check your own business
What is your break-even if rent rises 40% at renewal?
Risk
Utility costs
What Priya does
Low-water, card-only machines cut water use by about 28%.
Check your own business
What share of revenue goes on utilities?
Risk
Machine age & repairs
What Priya does
Annual service contract and a stock of common spare parts.
Check your own business
How long is a machine out of action when it breaks?
Part 5Starting a laundromat? Watch for these
Warning signHow to avoid itCheck before you commit
Warning sign
A short lease or uncapped rent reviews
How to avoid it
Sign 10+ years with reviews capped at inflation.
Check before you commit
What is break-even if rent rises 40%?
Warning sign
Old, water-hungry machines
How to avoid it
Budget for low-water, card-only machines within five years.
Check before you commit
What share of revenue goes on utilities?
Warning sign
Only walk-in self-service
How to avoid it
Add wash-and-fold and commercial accounts for steady volume.
Check before you commit
How much revenue is on account?
Part 6Why laundromats fail, and how often
- Still trading after 3 years
- 81% About 8 in 10
- Still trading after 5 years
- 68% About 7 in 10
- Most common reason for closing
- Lease terms & rent increases Given by 34% of owners who closed
Suds & Co Laundrette is built around avoiding “lease terms & rent increases”, which accounts for 34% of closures in this trade.
Main reason for closing, laundromats
Part 7Ask Priya a question
No questions yet. Be the first to ask Priya.
Free for everyone who signs in. Questions about all laundromats →
More on laundromats
Similar businesses
All laundromats →$138,350Final 12-mo revenue
$15,230Best month
$80,500Money lost
3 yrsTrading
Verified via StripePost-mortem published