Baird ‘Flash Survey’ Hints at Industrial Sales Slide

A recent “Facility Services” e-news report published by Robert W. Baird & Co. cited results of a recent “Flash Survey” of uniform rental companies last month that registered a sales falloff of nearly 20%.

“We tapped into Baird’s network of roughly 300 industrial launderers to see how trends unfolded during April,” the report said. The Flash Survey drew responses from 14 companies. The survey posed one question: “How much were your uniform rental revenues down in April on a year-over-year basis?” The answer was an average decline of 19%, although a few respondents reported declines of around 25%.

The Flash Survey, released on May 12, drew roughly one-third of the normal response rate, the report said. This latest survey was designed to supplement Baird’s 1st Quarter 2020 Survey, which relied on data that was supplied prior to the impact of COVID-19, which took hold in mid-March. Click here to see the full report.