Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/62026
RET AILING TODA Y Behind the counter PROCTER & GAMBLE IS EXPANDING ITS BRANDS INTO RETAIL LOCATIONS By Maura K. Ammenheuser Two of the units are franchise op- A 108 SCT / MAY 2012 S MANUFACTURER OF DAWN dish detergent, Tide laundry detergent and Crest toothpaste, Procter & Gamble probably knows a thing or two about getting stuff clean. Per- haps the company is set to clean up a bit more through a dry-cleaning franchise model. P&G; established Tide Dry Cleaners, a chain of dry- cleaning shops, in 2008 to exploit the commercial value of its Tide brand. By this past February there were eight of those. erations of Andrew and Peggy Cherng, who also own and run the Panda Ex- press fast-food chain. Those units are in Henderson, Nev., and Chandler, Ariz., and Mark Tarzian, COO of Panda Dry Cleaning, says there will be four more rolling out this year. The Cherngs have agreed to open eight by next March, in California and also in the Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., and Seattle metropolitan areas, says Tarzian. A retail maxim holds that indepen- dent merchants provide better service than chains. No way, says Tide Dry Cleaners, which aims to prove the re- verse by offering such perks as drive- through lanes, 24-hour lockers and even valet service. There will also be lots of freebie clothing repair, such as replacing buttons, says Aaron Eisel, brand manager of Tide Dry Cleaners. The items will be treated with Green Earth cleaning solvent and Tide fra- grance added, Eisel says. Like most dry-cleaning businesses, TIDE DRY CLEANERS, LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, OHIO Tide Dry Cleaners seeks space at open- air, community shopping centers ca- tering to a local clientele, in markets already supporting dry-cleaning busi- nesses. According to market research firm IBISWorld, that means commu- nities where at least 30 percent of the households report annual income of $60,000 on average. The shops themselves are not open 24 hours, but customers place their clothing into a bar-coded bag and then put the bag in a Tide Dry Cleaners locker at any time, after placing a phone call in advance. The clothes are cleaned and then deposited back in that same locker for the customer