How do I check a dry cleaner’s pickup and delivery route before buying?
Ask for the route as a list of stops, with how often each customer orders and when each is visited. Then look at the driver, the van and the weekly schedule, and ride along for at least one full run before closing.
Some dry cleaners collect and return garments at customers’ homes and offices. If this one does, the route is part of what you are buying, and it can be hard to see from the counter. Treat it like a small business inside the business. It has customers, a vehicle, a driver and a timetable, and each of them needs a look before you commit.
Start with the stop list
Ask the seller for the route as a list of stops, with each customer’s usual pickup day and how often they actually order. Some stops order every week and some twice a year. Ask which customers have been on the route longest and whether any one stop, such as a large office, makes up much of the route. If a few stops carry it, a single lost customer matters more.
The driver and the van
Find out who drives. If it is the owner, ask who would cover your holidays and sick days. If it is an employee, ask how long they have been on the route and whether customers know them by name. Ask about the van: ask for its service records, its ownership papers and whether it is included in the sale. Your lawyer can confirm how the vehicle transfers.
The schedule, and riding along
Ask to see a normal week and a busy one. Note where the day runs tight, and what happens when a customer is not home. Then ask to ride along for a full run. You will learn more in a morning than from any list: how customers greet the driver, how garments are tagged and handed over, and how long each stop really takes.
- A current stop list with order history by customer
- The driver’s name, hours and who covers absences
- The van’s service records and what is included in the sale
- How customers pay and how missed pickups are handled
The dry cleaner checklist covers the rest of the shop. Commercial linen accounts are a separate question, covered on the linen accounts page.
Related reading
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Due diligence
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAfter buying a business, what is the next step?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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