UK
LCN caught up with Dan Riley, joint managing director of Wolf Laundry, to find out how he thinks the industry will cope as we come out of lockdown. He believes operators need to brace themselves for the onslaught and predicts a busy time ahead as hospitality gets back on its feet.
"The UK laundry market must ensure it is fully prepared for a huge spike in demand in the coming months. After the dust from the pandemic settles, it's highly probable that there will be a consumer boom for UK holidays driven by a pent-up demand for getaways. In 2021, it seems entirely likely that more people than ever before will opt for a holiday in the UK - a so-called ‘staycation’ - particularly since the early months of the year have been defined by an increase in coronavirus cases across Europe. Consequently, there's likely to be a huge surge in demand for laundry equipment nationally in coming months. This will be driven by both the hospitality providers as well as those commercial laundries that service them.
Wolf Laundry's joint managing director Dan Riley is pictured (right in the image) with fellow joint managing director Joshua Brown
"Wolf Laundry has just bought one of our main competitors based in Cornwall (see LCN report here) which will mean that we are even better able to supply our industry-leading range of washing machines, tumble dryers and infection control equipment to even more clients across South West England.
"It will also be really interesting to observe what happens once Covid starts to become a distant memory. My personal view is that the pandemic will cause people to holiday in the UK increasingly for at least the next three to four years. And that's likely to be good for UK plc - and good for the laundry market for the foreseeable future, too."
As for the healthcare sector, Riley said: "It’s been well documented that the pandemic has hit the healthcare sector hard. Wolf Laundry works closely with many organisations and businesses operating in this sector – from nursing and care homes to large NHS Trusts.
"We specialise in providing them with a best-of-class range of products which have been proven to meet the highest levels of hygiene standards. We’ve worked closely with these clients throughout the pandemic. Consequently, we were delighted when, on 18 March 18the Government announced an additional funding package of £341m to help the care sector’s Covid infection control procedures.
"Any move to safeguard those vulnerable and dedicated staff that work within these environments could not be more welcome. And combined with the success of the current vaccination programme, let’s hope that the outlook for the healthcare sector is now brighter than at any point since the pandemic began."
- If you have a story or an opinion you would like to share with LCN readers, please get in touch with editor Kathy Bowry E: Kathy@kathybowry.co.uk
