The Indian textile care sector shows steady growth rates thanks to an ever-improving domestic economy, which is contributing to the growth of demand for quality laundry and drycleaning services.

Since the beginning of 2023 the Indian economy has been experiencing a renaissance, thanks to huge supplies of cheap Russian oil (which has been redirected by Russia from the West). That has made the country one of the major beneficiaries (along with China) of the current stand-off between Russia and the Western world. According to earlier predictions by the Indian Ministry of Finance, this year the Indian economy is expected to grow by an additional 7-7.5%, that will strengthen its status as the world’s third largest economy and the world’s fastest growing one.

Now Donald Trump is in the White House, cooperation with the USA is also expanding, which creates conditions for the further growth of most segments of the Indian economy, including textile care.

As is the case for other emerging nations, the Indian laundry and drycleaning sector has been long been within the sphere of interest for the global textile care supplier giants, mainly due to its potential for further growth. In recent years many of them have significantly strengthened their presence, positioning themselves to take advantage of that potential.

One such company is Lapauw, as Maulik H Shah of KPEX CORP, an official distributor and long-term partner of Lapauw in India, told LCNi, Lapauw has been active in India for the past 20-25 years.

Shah comments: “It is a well known brand and regarded as a premium industrial heavy duty product with superior after sales service provided by the Lapauw factory. Last year Lapauw successfully sold its flatwork ironers to Hotel Leela Chennai, Hotel Fairmount Udaipur, ITC and several other customers, mainly the premium hospitality sector.”

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Shah expects both Lapauw’s Indian business and the Indian laundry and drycleaning sector will see robust growth in the coming years. However, according to him, the considerable challenge in the post-pandemic era is “the deluge of cheap and poor quality products flooding the market and ‘roguish’ efforts to entice the customer to buy the same”.

“However, we feel that in due course local customers will comprehend that quality products will drive sustainability and long term profitability,” he says.

In the meantime, the Indian market has always been one of the priority markets for another global player, Girbau. As Tushar Goswami, Girbau business development manager in India says: “Girbau India started its operation in mid 2019 and since that time has become a major local player. After the struggles of the Covid period, Girbau is penetrating well in the Indian market.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Lapauw’s ironer arrives for the Fairmount Hotel Udaipur

“We are putting in efforts to educate the market and provide the tailor-made solutions to our customers and 2024 was yet another year where we took a step forward with the opening of another site with The Laundry House [Garment Care For Imoprtant People is the mission statement here] franchise in the city of Jaipur. The store is doing well and the owner is planning to expand the operation now. The owner is very happy with the products and services provided by Girbau,” he says.

Goswami adds that the company puts big hopes on the development in the Indian hospitality sector, where Girbau participates in a number of projects. One of them involves the revamping of the laundry for The Park Hotel, which is one of the largest hotels in Delhi.

Goswami expects demand for the laundry and the drycleaning services in India will continue to show an upward trend and will further grow already in the middle term. “The quantum of population, rising of middle-classes, and the aspirational ethos of Indian culture are the driving force behind changing face of India and its laundry and drycleaning sector.”

Still, according to Goswami, a number of problems prevents more active growth of the industry these days. Among them are poor organisation; low demand for premium services (which complicates the expansion of major Western players), and; lots of inaccurate information about India and its laundry sector due to which new investors get confused.

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Goswami believes in order to gain success in the Indian market, both foreign and large domestic players should implement a long-term strategy focusing on long-term growth.

In the meantime, almost the same opinion is shared by Anand Dubey, country manager India/Nepal/Buthan from Alliance Laundry Systems, according to whom the Indian laundry market remains largely disorganised and dominated by traditional washing and ironing services. This, he believes presents a conducive environment for education and growth. Still, according to Dubey, there is a notable acceptance of premium brands in both the vended laundry and On-Premises Laundry (OPL) segments, where Alliance Laundry Systems continues to lead.

ANAND DUBEY: Country manager India/Nepa/lButhan for Alliance Laundry Systems

Dubey comments: “Alliance has been at the forefront of this transformation, creating business opportunities in untapped markets and simultaneously transforming the industry from disorganised to organised.” According to Dubey, last year was successful for the company in the Indian market, which allowed it to achieve some good results.

“The year 2024 has been exceptional, with notable placements of large chassis stack washer dryers in retail and centralised laundries. Additionally, significant progress has been made in previously unexplored segments like correctional facilities. Wetcleaning is also gradually gaining acceptance in India, with SoftWash emerging as the preferred choice.”

He expects the demand for laundry and drycleaning services in the Indian market will be growing in years to come, citing two key factors:

  • Convenience.
  • Lack of time.

“Indians are increasingly leading busier lives, necessitating the outsourcing of chores that can be conveniently outsourced, thereby saving precious time,” he explains.

Ravi Chandran, regional sales manager South Asia for Jensen also comments on about the importance of the Indian market to the company and the results, which were achieved by Jensen in 2024 and the first months of 2025.

According to Chandran, among the biggest projects undertaken by the company last year was the Fairmount Hotel in Mumbai. Also, the company commissioned a tunnel washer (the fourth to be supplied to India Railways) and ironer lines for Allahabad Railways and supplied a gas ironer and oil heated Ironers as part of an order by Southern Railways in Kerala. The third biggest project involved the supply of a complete laundry solution for Bombay Hospital in Mumbai, including electric ironers and barrier washers, marking a major replacement project 20 years after first using Jensen equipment.

Chandran says the company puts big hopes on its development in the Indian market this year, hoping for a further expansion of its portfolio of orders. Of these, particular hopes are put on India Railways BOOT Laundry Projects. As Chandran adds, India Railways is expected to float around 50 tenders for BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) laundry projects in various zones, which may provide some opportunities.

This year the company also plans to introduce the first bag loading system in the Indian market, offering a better version to what’s currently available.

Chandran comments: “That could be associated with significant improvements of laundry processes. With a strong 2024 and such promising prospects for 2025, Jensen is positioning itself for another year of growth, especially in the railway sector where we have a proven track record. The introduction of advanced systems like the new bag loading system could open doors to even more clients.”

Finally, Marco Niccolini, general sales a director at Renzacci also expresses his recognition of the importance and existing large potential of India for the company. The company has been operating in India since the early 1990s and has an in-depth knowledge of it. Niccolini says one of the most important trends is the ongoing switch to sustainable solutions, particularly biodegradable solvents and other more environmentally friendly products.

As Niccolini points out, in recent years the company’s range in the Indian market has been significantly expanded. He hopes for a big demand, although the current growth rates of the market are lower than those double digit growth rates observed several years ago. Niccolini also forecasts the growth of self-service laundries in India, forecasting that sector will be one of the major growth drivers for the entire market.