ZIPS Franchising

What ZIPS Franchising does

ZIPS Franchising operates a franchise network of dry cleaning and garment care services in the United States, with more than 70 storefronts operating under the ZIPS Cleaners brand and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland. The company is the franchising entity within Value Drycleaners of America and also serves as franchisor for the Mulberrys Garment Care brand, giving it a multi-brand portfolio across price positioning in the garment care category. Its customers are horizontal B2C end consumers — primarily general consumers seeking everyday dry cleaning and garment care, with a secondary focus on military service members and veterans served through ongoing discount programs and partnerships with Armed Services YMCA and Wounded Warrior Project. The business model is franchise-based: revenue is generated from franchise fees, royalties on system-wide store sales, and brand-funded marketing, while individual dry cleaning services are delivered through local franchisee-operated retail storefronts serving walk-in consumer demand.

Distribution runs entirely through physical franchise locations across the United States; no mobile app is operated and no proprietary technology platform is publicly described. Underlying technology is not disclosed beyond a corporate IT function newly elevated into the VP of IT, Operations and Training role as part of a February 2026 executive restructuring. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no reported revenue, and corporate headcount in the 11–50 range. In February 2026, Mike Weisel was named President/CEO after joining as VP of Operations in mid-2024, succeeding Bob Barry; concurrent promotions of Kathleen Razmus and Jaici Kelly signal operational investment consistent with multi-brand franchisor scaling.

Name

ZIPS Franchising

Legal name

Value Drycleaners of America

Website

https://321zips.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ZIPS Franchising operates a US franchise network of more than 70 dry cleaning and garment care locations under the ZIPS Cleaners and Mulberrys Garment Care brands, serving general consumers and military/veteran customers as a subsidiary of Value Drycleaners of America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenbelt

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ZIPS Franchising operates a franchise network of more than 70 ZIPS Cleaners retail locations across the United States, providing professional dry cleaning, laundry, and garment care services to individual consumers. The company also franchises the Mulberrys Garment Care brand and offers home delivery services for added customer convenience.

Product overview

ZIPS Franchising operates a franchise network of dry cleaning service locations. The core offering is ZIPS Cleaners, which operates more than 70 locations across the United States. Additionally, the company serves as franchisor for the Mulberrys Garment Care brand, providing a multi-brand portfolio of garment care services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Armed Services YMCAminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025ZIPS Cleaners partnered with Armed Services YMCA as part of veteran service organization support during November 2025. The company donated a portion of sales to support the organization's programs for military families.
• Wounded Warrior ProjectminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025ZIPS Cleaners supported Wounded Warrior Project as one of three veteran service organizations receiving company support during the November 2025 military appreciation initiative. The partnership included donation programs and charitable contributions.
• NFL Salute to ServiceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025ZIPS Cleaners participated in the NFL's Salute to Service initiative by sponsoring military salutes at NFL games. This partnership was part of the company's broader November 2025 veteran support and appreciation campaign.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Rinse: Rinse is a digitally native on-demand laundry and dry cleaning pickup/delivery service operating in major U.S. metros. It is an emerging competitor to ZIPS' in-store franchise model, targeting the same garment-care customer with subscription and app-based convenience.

Direct peers

• Tide Cleaners: Tide Cleaners is one of the largest U.S. dry cleaning and laundry franchise networks, directly comparable to ZIPS in service offering, franchise model, and target customer base. Notably, ZIPS' new CEO Mike Weisel previously held senior roles at Tide Cleaners, underscoring the direct competitive overlap.
• Pressed4Time: Pressed4Time is a U.S. dry cleaning pickup and delivery franchise network. It is a direct franchise peer to ZIPS, sharing the franchised distribution model and overlapping on garment-care services, with a stronger pickup/delivery orientation.
• Mulberrys Garment Care: Mulberrys is a garment care brand franchised by ZIPS' parent company Value Drycleaners of America, making it a direct brand-level peer within the same corporate portfolio. It serves similar premium customer segments with comparable dry cleaning and wash-and-fold services.
• Lapels Cleaners: Lapels Cleaners is a U.S. dry cleaning and laundry franchise chain operating eco-friendly retail storefronts. It directly competes with ZIPS in franchise model, dry cleaning service mix, and consumer target market.
• Martinizing Dry Cleaning: Martinizing is a long-established U.S. dry cleaning franchise brand with national storefront presence and franchisee model. It is a direct peer to ZIPS in category, customer base, and franchised retail distribution.
• Comet Cleaners: Comet Cleaners is a regional and multi-state dry cleaning franchise brand serving consumer and commercial customers. It is a direct peer to ZIPS in franchised retail dry cleaning and shared customer demographics.
• CD One Price Cleaners: CD One Price Cleaners is a multi-location U.S. dry cleaning chain offering a flat-pricing retail model. It is comparable to ZIPS in physical-store dry cleaning focus and consumer customer base, with overlapping geographic markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zipsdrycleaners
• Facebookfacebook.com/321zips

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZIPS Franchising