With 1,500 stores around the world, including 250 in France and a hundred franchisees, 5 à sec is one of the world leaders in cleaning clothes and textiles for individuals.
L’Express: What are the effects of the energy crisis on the garment cleaning sector?
Benjamin Lacoste : Energy consumption represents on average 6% of the turnover of our 250 stores in France. In 2023, it’s very simple: our bills will double! However, in local trade, margins are low and this crisis comes after two already very complicated years. In 2020, we suffered from lockdown-related closures, which extended for three months in 2021 in shopping centers. Like bakeries, our businesses will be in jeopardy if inflation persists. This is why we launched a support plan from June 2022.
What does it consist on ?
Before the onset of this crisis, we were already committed to an eco-responsibility policy. With our industrial partners, for example, we have designed a dry washing machine that allows us to obtain an energy gain of 40%. Likewise, we are currently testing a dryer that will consume 30 to 40% less electricity. However, these innovations presuppose long amortization cycles which do not make it possible to deal with this crisis immediately. This is why we created a unit last spring to optimize our consumption.
What solutions have you been able to develop?
We have drawn up a plan to optimize the use of the machines. These don’t need to be on all the time, so we’ve focused the cleaning cycles on certain time slots. This simple solution has enabled us to reduce our consumption by 15%, while we were planning on saving 10%. We have applied the same method to other energy expenditure items, the main difficulty having been to change working methods.
How did you support the deployment of this measure?
We used our usual communication channels, in particular virtual classes on Teams, in order to explain to our franchisees how to apply this principle to all energy consumption items, whether it be closing computers at night or reduced ventilation. The role of a franchisor consists in anticipating and proposing a method to manage any type of problem.
What other measures do you intend to propose?
Since the beginning of January, we have asked our customers for a solidarity-energy contribution of 1 euro per invoice. To do this, we have developed communication kits and trained our teams in the management of language elements. Furthermore, the partnership we have entered into with Vinted [NDLR : marché en ligne de vêtements et accessoires d’occasion] last October for the installation of lockers to deposit parcels allowed us to create traffic in dry cleaners. We hope to bring out a clientele in this second-hand clothing cleaning segment. It is up to us, as a franchisor, to support our franchisees in the development of new markets.
