The Huntington Company Announces Affiliates' Rebranding, Adding 210 Franchises To Martinizing Dry Cleaning Name

Market Penetration Exceeds 750 Locations

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Nov 11, 2015, 09:00 ET

BERKLEY, Mich., Nov. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Huntington Company, LLC (the "Huntington Company"), a multi-concept franchisor located in Berkley, Mich., announced a new and diversified business model for Martinizing International, LLC, d/b/a Martinizing Dry Cleaning, the largest U.S. based franchise dry cleaning brand, that includes the rebranding of 1-800-DryClean, Pressed4Time and Dry Cleaning Station, at the company's first International Convention in Detroit.

New van graphics for Martinizing Delivers

First, the new model for Martinizing Dry Cleaning includes residential and commercial pick-up and delivery, locker-based service and on-demand service. Now being introduced to a large network of consultants, the new Martinizing Dry Cleaning concept is being met with overwhelmingly positive response, with two new franchisees already set to join the organization.

Next, the affiliated route brands will be rebranded under the "Martinizing Delivers" name. Current 1-800-DryClean franchisees will incorporate their name into the Martinizing Delivers designation, using a logo that reads: Martinizing Delivers, Call 1-800-DryClean. Similarly, Pressed4Time operators will have a logo that includes: Pressed4Time…Martinizing Delivers. The concept is designed to capitalize on the widely-known Martinizing brand while taking advantage of the core competencies 1-800-DryClean and Pressed4Time have developed in their route service.

"The Martinizing brand is uniquely positioned to build on its industry-leading awareness, national presence and storied history that spans more than 60 years," said Wayne Wudyka, CEO of The Huntington Company.

"It's no longer sufficient to simply operate a retail dry cleaning location and expect meaningful growth," said Wudyka. "Today's changing customer base, particularly the rise of the Millennial generation, requires a diversified blend of service options to meet consumer needs and expectations. From our perspective, we are competing with how customers acquire goods and services; it's all about speed and convenience. Simply look at society and the profound effect of technology, where there's an app for everything and on-demand access to goods and services is increasingly commonplace. Our goal is to capitalize on Martinizing's true national footprint and leading name recognition by providing access for customers wherever and whenever they want service," Wudyka said.

"Across our affiliated brands, we have solid core competencies that we can better leverage as a single brand," said Wudyka. "1-800-DryClean has been a leader in residential route service. Similarly, Pressed4Time has become known for servicing commercial locations. Now, we are able to add locker-based service in offices, apartment buildings, parking structures—literally anywhere people live or work—to enable customers to drop off and pick up their cleaning on their schedule. Additionally, with on-demand service, where the customer uses a mobile app to select the timing and location for pick-up and delivery, we are adding the ultimate in convenience."

Wudyka's investment in the Chicago-based app development firm DRYV enables Martinizing to efficiently offer both locker-based service and on-demand service via a single integrated mobile app.

"Millennials are here to stay and buy," said Wudyka. "We already have Baby Boomers and GenXers as traditional customers. The key is to tap into the large and fast-growing Millennial generation, which we are doing by providing service with lockers and on-demand pick-up and delivery. Between what DRYV has done in Chicago and what we have done with DRYV's technology here in Detroit, it's clear that Millennials represent an untapped market that is ripe for the confluence of technology and quality service that we can provide."

"Unlike other on-demand services, Martinizing is different in that we control the drivers and the quality at the plant. From our evaluation of several on-demand concepts, it was clear that the biggest challenges with existing on-demand services were how to manage drivers and how to control cleaning quality," said Wudyka. "The team at DRYV is completely dialed into customer acquisition, which is the key to sustained growth, and now that we can solve the challenges of driver and quality control through our nationwide network of franchisees, we have an incredible opportunity to drive new business to the industry."

The conversion of established brands to the Martinizing name was an easy decision for Wudyka.

"In a national brand study, we found that 62 percent of dry cleaning customers were familiar with the Martinizing name," Wudyka said. "We also learned that half of all customers surveyed nationally would switch dry cleaners if there were pick-up/delivery service, and 40% would switch if there were smartphone options for controlling their laundry and dry cleaning service; Millennials are the most motivated by these services."

"In our discussions with our franchise advisory councils comprised of leading franchisees for 1-800-DryClean and Pressed4Time, we heard loud and clear that they were looking for new strategies to grow their business. When we presented the opportunity to join an iconic national brand bolstered by our brand study findings, with diversified services, they were fully supportive and enthusiastic.

"We are proud to introduce an expanded brand presence that now touches more than 600 locations worldwide, and one that will add many more locations for those entrepreneurs who see the growth opportunities we provide with our model of offering quality garment care wherever and whenever our customers want it," added Wudyka.

Founded in 1949, Martinizing became a worldwide brand and the largest dry cleaning franchisor in the U.S. following the return of George Strike to the family business in 1978. Today, Martinizing operates more than 400 locations in eight countries including the U.S., Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and Peru.

Already the largest provider of mobile dry cleaning and laundry services in North America, The Huntington Company through its affiliates' portfolio of franchise brands provides textile restoration, dry cleaning and laundry services.

The addition of Martinizing in late 2014 built upon The Huntington Company and its affiliates' recent expansion of retail dry cleaning brands including the addition of Pressed 4 Time, a door-to-door pick-up and delivery service, in May of 2014 and the 2013 launch of bizziebox, a revolutionary dry cleaning franchise concept that integrates mobile technology with a locker-based pick-up and delivery service to provide dry cleaning and laundry services for tenants of office buildings and residential properties.

In 2012, the 1-800-DryClean franchise system was acquired as the organization's first retail-oriented dry cleaning franchise. The 1-800-DryClean system provides convenient and affordable pick-up and delivery service for neighborhood residents and office workers in 22 states.

Wudyka launched CRDN, the Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network, in 2001, which is the largest franchise network of insurance textile restoration providers in the U.S. Serving the U.S., Canada and the U.K., CRDN restores garments and textiles damaged by fire, smoke, water and other contaminants. With more than 150 franchises and annual sales in excess of $100 million, CRDN is comprised of some of the largest and most prominent drycleaners in North America.

About The Huntington Company and its Affiliates

The Huntington Company and its affiliates are privately held companies located in Berkley, Michigan. The companies that make up the family of brands are Huntington Cleaners & Shirt Laundry, Huntington Woods, Mich.; Huntington Window Fashions, Troy, Mich.; and Wesch Cleaners, Birmingham, Mich.; as well as the 1-800-DryClean, bizziebox, Pressed4Time, Martinizing, Dry Cleaning Station and Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network franchises. To learn more, visit www.thinkhuntington.com.