How do I find a linen supply business for sale in Canada?

A commercial linen supply company washes, folds and delivers tablecloths, towels, sheets and napkins to hotels, restaurants, clinics and spas. It is a different business from a coin laundromat or a dry cleaner, and few owners advertise a sale because their customers would notice. A buyer should plan to use public listings and personal contact together, and to be patient.

Search under every name the trade uses

Owners may call the business linen supply, linen service, textile rental, commercial laundry or hospitality laundry. Search listing sites under each term and save the searches so new postings reach you. Read the description closely, because a listing labelled laundry may be a plant that serves accounts on routes, or it may be a retail counter. The work described matters more than the label.

Ask brokers and people around the trade

Business brokers who handle service companies sometimes hear about a linen owner thinking of retiring before anything is posted. Equipment dealers who sell washers and folding lines, chemical suppliers and delivery vehicle dealers also know which plants are busy and which owners are tiring. Send a short, courteous introduction that says what you are looking for and how you would keep customers undisturbed.

Reading a linen supply listing

Look for the mix of customers, how long the main accounts have been served, and whether the plant and trucks are owned or leased. Ask how much linen is in circulation and who owns it. A listing that says little about the accounts, the plant or the staff is a prompt for questions to the seller. See how to assess equipment condition before you visit a plant.