Martinizing Dry Cleaning
Encyclopedia
Martinizing Dry Cleaning is a dry cleaning
franchise
founded in 1949. Martin Franchises, Inc., the parent company, is the largest dry cleaning franchise in the United States
, with over 600 franchised stores worldwide. The family-owned
company is based in Loveland, Ohio
. The concept of One Hour Martinizing was pioneered by a New York chemist named Henry Martin in 1949. At the time, drycleaning was done with flammable solvents, so the plants were located remotely from the storefronts. A customer would drop off their cleaning "in town", the garments would travel to the production facility to be cleaned and pressed, then they would return to the store several days later for pickup. But, by using a non-flammable solvent, the use of which was discovered by Mr. Martin, drycleaning plants could now be located much more conveniently, and the process could be carried out in a much more timely manner. The use of this non-flammable solvent was adopted throughout the industry and revolutionized the business in that facilities could better serve their customers and provide much faster turn-around on the orders, if need be. Operationally this has been termed "on-site cleaning" (as opposed to the "remote" cleaning of the past).
Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene , abbreviated "perc" in the industry and "dry-cleaning fluid" by the public...
franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
founded in 1949. Martin Franchises, Inc., the parent company, is the largest dry cleaning franchise in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with over 600 franchised stores worldwide. The family-owned
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
company is based in Loveland, Ohio
Loveland, Ohio
Loveland is a city in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Considered part of the Greater Cincinnati area, Loveland is located near exit 52 off Interstate 275, about northeast of the Cincinnati city limits. It borders Symmes, Miami and...
. The concept of One Hour Martinizing was pioneered by a New York chemist named Henry Martin in 1949. At the time, drycleaning was done with flammable solvents, so the plants were located remotely from the storefronts. A customer would drop off their cleaning "in town", the garments would travel to the production facility to be cleaned and pressed, then they would return to the store several days later for pickup. But, by using a non-flammable solvent, the use of which was discovered by Mr. Martin, drycleaning plants could now be located much more conveniently, and the process could be carried out in a much more timely manner. The use of this non-flammable solvent was adopted throughout the industry and revolutionized the business in that facilities could better serve their customers and provide much faster turn-around on the orders, if need be. Operationally this has been termed "on-site cleaning" (as opposed to the "remote" cleaning of the past).
Company trends
According to Entrepreneur.com, the company has been steadily losing U.S. franchises.| Year | Franchises | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | Canadian | Foreign | |
| 2001 | 526 | 33 | 192 |
| 2002 | 490 | 26 | 204 |
| 2003 | 430 | 23 | 201 |
| 2004 | 389 | 19 | 214 |
| 2005 | 383 | 20 | 244 |