Kleen Shutters Operations in NH

Kleen Laundry & Dry Cleaning Services Inc., Lebanon, NH, recently shut down its commercial laundry service, according to local media reports. The company closed all of its retail dry-cleaning stores in June.

Kleen co-owner and CFO Ned Hazard, who was part of an investor group that bought the company from its longtime owners the Gosselin family in 2006, provided a statement to the Valley News, a newspaper based in West Lebanon, NH, about the plant closure. “Obviously, this is a very difficult situation for myself and (co-owner) Dennis (Kim), as well as for our long standing and loyal employee and customer base,” Hazard said. “It is a very unfortunate ending to a difficult period for the Kleen business.”

According to its website, Kleen has been in business for more than 100 years, with a focus on the needs and requirements of the healthcare community and hospitality clients. The article said that several employees were told that Kleen was attempting to renegotiate contracts with its healthcare customers to stay in business. “Then yesterday they told us over the weekend they decided to close because they couldn’t get the hospitals to renegotiate the contracts,” said Kleen employee Jason Sheehan, of Claremont, NH, in the Valley News article.

The sudden decision to close has left roughly 20 hospitals in the company’s service area in New Hampshire and Vermont seeking a new linen service provider on short notice, the article noted. To read the full article about Kleen closing its commercial laundry operation, click here. Click here to read the article about Kleen shutting down its dry-cleaning operations.