What Washhouse does

Washhouse (TYO:6537) operates a remotely managed coin-operated laundry franchise network in Japan, headquartered in Miyazaki and publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market. Founded in 2001 (originally as KDM Co., Ltd., renamed in 2005), the company pioneered an IoT-enabled franchise model in which the franchisor — not the franchisee — bears all operational responsibility: 24/7 remote monitoring via web cameras, daily cleaning and inspections, maintenance patrols, advertising, and a 24/7 call center. Individual franchise owners invest approximately ¥15–25 million per standard store (reference ¥20.63M as of May 2017) and bear zero day-to-day operational burden. The network comprised 567 stores across Japan as of May 2026, with 409 (72%) concentrated in Kyushu, where the company claims it raised coin-laundry utilization from ~3% to 30%+ via TV-led marketing campaigns.

The core technology stack is built around proprietary IoT-enabled washing machines (up to 22 kg capacity) and dryers (up to 25 kg), produced in-house at the WASHHOUSE Miyazaki factory (opened 2021) and protected by business-method patents in Japan (filed 2004, 2008, 2010), China, and Korea (both 2009), plus a Japan advertising-method patent (2021). Each store is equipped with web cameras, a touch-panel information station providing local community listings, and free stain-removal equipment. A mobile laundry vehicle is deployed for disaster response (used in the 2016 Kumamoto and 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquakes). The WASHHOUSE smartphone app, launched in 2020, supports mobile payment and advertising; it reached 1 million cumulative downloads in 2025 and is positioned as the platform for an ad-supported 'free laundry' model. Revenue is primarily derived from franchise fees and recurring royalties across the 567-store network, supplemented by WASHHOUSE Finantial (loan products to FC owners, est. 2018), WASHHOUSE Sustainable (hospitality operations for disaster-recovery workers in Wajima City, est. 2024), and emerging app-advertising revenue.

Name

Washhouse

Legal name

WASHHOUSE株式会社 (WASHHOUSE Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://corporate.wash-house.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Washhouse (TYO:6537) is a Japanese franchise operator that plans, develops, and remotely manages a network of 567 IoT-enabled coin-operated laundry stores, handling all operations on behalf of franchise owners. The company serves individual franchise investors and end-consumer laundry users across Japan, with overseas subsidiaries in Thailand and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coin-Operated Laundry Services

NAICS

Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners (812310)

SIC

Electric Housewares & Fans (3634)

akta.pro primary industry

24/7 & Unattended (Automated) Laundromats (HSAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Card/App-Based Self-Service Laundromats (HSAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Coin-operated laundry
• Franchise laundromat
• IoT laundry services
• Remote store management
• Commercial laundry operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Miyazaki

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties from FC Store Owners: WASHHOUSE acts as a franchisor. New FC owners pay an initial investment (approximately ¥15–25 million) to open stores and likely pay ongoing royalties. WASHHOUSE manages all store operations on their behalf (call center, cleaning, maintenance, advertising), creating a recurring revenue stream from each of the 567 franchise stores.
2. WASHHOUSE App Advertising Revenue: The company is pursuing an advertising-based revenue model through its mobile app. Ads delivered via the app to users, with the stated goal of eventually using ad revenue to subsidize or eliminate user laundry costs.
3. WASHHOUSE Financial Services: Wholly-owned subsidiary WASHHOUSE FINAN肌CIAL Co., Ltd. provides loan products to FC owners, creating financing-related revenue.
4. Hotel / Workforce Accommodation Operations: Subsidiary WASHHOUSE SUSTAINABLE Co., Ltd. operates workforce dormitory hotels in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture (opened 2024 for recovery/ reconstruction workers after the Noto Peninsula earthquake), generating hospitality revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Washhouse plans, develops, and operates remotely managed coin-operated laundry stores under a franchise model in which the company handles all store operations (24/7 call center, daily cleaning, maintenance, advertising) on behalf of franchise owners. The franchise system is enabled by a proprietary IoT platform with web-camera monitoring and remote machine control, proprietary washing/drying machines manufactured in-house, and a mobile app that supports payments and ad-supported free laundry.

Product overview

Washhouse operates a remotely managed coin-operated laundry store network in Japan, managing stores via an IoT platform that combines proprietary washing and drying machines with 24/7 remote monitoring and control from headquarters. The core offering is the remotely managed coin laundry store model, supported by a franchise system in which the company handles all operational burdens (cleaning, maintenance, customer service, advertising) for franchise owners. Key products include the IoT-enabled original washing machines and dryers (manufactured in-house at the Miyazaki Factory since 2021), the WASHHOUSE smartphone app enabling mobile payments and advertising-based free laundry campaigns (1M+ downloads as of 2025), the disaster-ready mobile laundry vehicle for emergency response, touch-panel information stations in stores, sneaker laundry units, and a container-type store format launched in 2024 with in-house manufactured machines. Subsidiary WASHHOUSE FINANTIAL handles franchise-related financial services, while WASHHOUSE Sustainable operates hotel accommodations for disaster recovery workers. The company also provides 24/7 call center services and advertises via unified TV/print campaigns on behalf of all stores.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Remotely Managed Coin-Operated Laundry Stores (遠隔管理型コインランドリー店舗) The company's flagship offering: a network of unattended, IoT-enabled coin-operated laundry stores where WASHHOUSE manages all operations (cleaning, maintenance, call center, advertising) on behalf of franchise owners. Customers access large-capacity washers, dryers, sneaker laundry, and free stain-removal equipment 24/7.
• All-Stores Bulk Management Franchise (大成牽引型フランチャイズ) Franchise program where WASHHOUSE handles all store operations (cleaning, maintenance, complaint handling, advertising) on behalf of franchise owners, who bear zero operational burden. Offered in Standard Package (~100 tsubo / 330㎡ standalone) and Small Package (~13 tsubo / 43㎡ in-building) plans.
• Standard Package Plan (レギュラーパッケージプラン) Standalone new-construction WASHHOUSE franchise store on approximately 100 tsubo of land in Kanto, Kansai, Chugoku, or Kyushu expansion areas, with business lease, building lease, or landowner-owner contract options.
• Small Package Plan (スモールパッケージプラン) Urban infill WASHHOUSE franchise store in 13 tsubo (43㎡) tenant spaces inside apartment, condo, or office buildings, available in Kanto, Kansai, Chugoku, and Kyushu expansion areas.
• WASHHOUSE App (ウォッシュハウスアプリ) Freemium smartphone application for customers enabling mobile payment at WASHHOUSE stores, advertising-based services, and free laundry campaigns. Reached 1 million cumulative downloads in 2025.
• Container-Type Store (コンテナ型店舗) with Original Washing/Drying Machines A new WASHHOUSE store format launched in 2024, using shipping-container construction and equipped with self-developed in-house original washing machines and dryers from the Miyazaki Factory.
• Disaster-Ready WASHHOUSE Mobile Laundry Car (災害時用WASHハウス移動式ランドリー車) Mobile laundry vehicle developed to deliver washing and drying services in disaster-stricken areas where water supply infrastructure is disrupted; the first mobile laundry vehicle of its kind in Japan. Deployed after the 2016 Kumamoto and 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquakes.
• WASHHOUSE Miyazaki Factory (ウォッシュハウス宮崎工場) In-house manufacturing facility completed in 2021 in Miyazaki Prefecture that produces WASHHOUSE's proprietary original washing machines and dryers used in container-type stores and as equipment replacements.
• 24/7 Call Center (24時間365日コールセンター) 24-hour, 365-day customer-inquiry handling service operated by WASHHOUSE to support franchise owners and customers at all unattended stores.
• WASHHOUSE FINANTIAL Franchise Financing Services Wholly-owned subsidiary providing loan products to franchise owners to support WASHHOUSE franchise investment, operated in cooperation with partner Miyazaki Taiyo Bank.
• WASHHOUSE Sustainable Hotel Operations (Recovery Worker Housing) Hotel operations for disaster recovery and reconstruction workers in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, operated by wholly-owned subsidiary WASHHOUSE Sustainable Co., Ltd. following the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
• Original Washing Machines and Dryers (オリジナル洗乾機) Proprietary IoT-enabled washing machines (up to 22kg capacity) and dryers (up to 25kg capacity) developed and manufactured in-house at the Miyazaki factory, supporting remote monitoring and control from headquarters and enabling fully unattended store operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kyushu 5-prefecture utilization rate rose from ~3% to 30%+ following WASHHOUSE marketing campaigns
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, strategic and core.

• WASHHOUSE Sustainable Co., Ltd.minorOthers · 1 January 2024Consolidated subsidiary established in 2024. Operates workforce dormitory/hotel facilities for recovery and reconstruction workers in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, following the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
• WASHHOUSE (Thailand) CO., LTD. (first overseas subsidiary)strategicOthers · 1 January 2019First overseas subsidiary, established in 2019 in Thailand. Part of WASHHOUSE's strategy to expand globally and establish coin-operated laundry standards internationally.
• WASHHOUSE (Shandong) CO., LTD. (overseas subsidiary)strategicOthers · 1 January 2019Overseas subsidiary established in 2019 in Shandong Province, China. Part of WASHHOUSE's China market presence, building on the Chinese patent acquired in 2009.
• WASHHOUSE FINAN肌CIAL Co., Ltd.coreOthers · 1 January 2018100% owned subsidiary established in 2018 to provide financial services to FC owners. Offers loan products to support franchise store investments.
• 全国コインランドリー管理業協会 (All Japan Coin Laundry Management Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003WASHHOUSE co-founded the Limited Liability Intermediary Corporation All Japan Coin Laundry Management Association in 2003. The association establishes industry standards and compliance guidelines for coin-operated laundry management in Japan, helping to address the industry problem of unregulated operators.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cleanly: US-based on-demand laundry and dry cleaning app competing in the tech-enabled laundry services category. Similar digital-first go-to-market and franchise-like city-based operator model as WASHHOUSE, though focuses on pickup/delivery rather than self-service.
• Poplin: US on-demand laundry app with freelance 'Laundry Pro' operators serving customers via pickup/delivery. Comparable tech-enabled, app-driven laundry services model targeting urban convenience-seeking customers similar to WASHHOUSE's end users.

Emerging players

• Rinse: US tech-enabled dry cleaning and laundry pickup/delivery service operating across major US cities. Comparable to WASHHOUSE's app-driven customer engagement strategy and tech-forward laundry services positioning, though focused on garment care rather than self-service.

Broad incumbents

• Mac-Gray / LaundryLux: US commercial laundry operator serving multi-family housing, colleges, and laundromats. Operates unattended shared laundry rooms at scale, comparable to WASHHOUSE's unattended store model, though serves institutional rather than retail customers.
• CSC ServiceWorks: Largest unattended commercial laundry operator in the US with ~3M+ customers across shared and exclusive routes. Operates a similar unattended/self-service laundry model at much larger scale, but lacks IoT-driven central remote management and full-service franchise infrastructure.
• Alliance Laundry Systems (Speed Queen): World's largest commercial laundry equipment manufacturer, owner of Speed Queen, IPSO, Huebsch, and UniMac brands. Comparable to WASHHOUSE's in-house manufacturing capability (MASHHOUSE Miyazaki Factory) and competes as a machine supplier to coin laundry operators globally.
• Tide Cleaners (Procter & Gamble): Procter & Gamble's commercial laundry and dry cleaning brand operating retail stores across the US. Comparable to WASHHOUSE as a branded retail laundry network, though backed by P&G and lacks WASHHOUSE's franchise + IoT remote management structure.

Regional players

• Coinamatic Canada: Canada's largest commercial laundry operator with multi-housing and laundromat locations. Operates similar unattended shared laundry model as WASHHOUSE but serves a different geography (Canada vs Japan) and lacks the franchise + IoT remote management structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

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 Washhouse