As laundry operators advance in Q1 2025, there’s optimism coupled with anxiety over labor costs. The rise of inflation since the COVID-19 pandemic has driven up wage and benefit expenses. But the upside is that those companies that offer competitive pay packages are seeing improved staff engagement and retention.

That was the rough consensus that emerged from recent interviews with four operators: two from mainly food and beverage (F&B) laundries; and two others that serve industrial/mixed markets. Happily, there is sense of relief that inflation has dropped from a peak of 9% in June 2022 to 2.9% in December 2024 ...