How These Entrepreneurs Built the Biggest Fully-owned Laundromat in Metro Manila

To date, the fully-owned laundromat brand WeClean has over 65 branches in Metro Manila and more branches set to open provincially and across Asia.

With the economy recovering from the aftermath of the pandemic, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) reported that the labor force in the Philippines has grown to 66.6% in February 2023—an increase from the recorded 63.8% during the same period last 2022. This means that there's an increase of 2.7 million Filipinos joining the labor force on a year-on-year basis.

Given the growing labor force in the Philippines, the demand for commercial services like laundry businesses has gone up. After all, with a significant part of the population working and many companies returning to an onsite or hybrid office setup, some people find it hard to balance work and chores, including doing their own laundry.

This is why laundry shops are in demand. Aside from offering convenience, it also accommodates a diverse market—young professionals who live alone, working parents who juggle household chores, childcare duties, and a job, as well as business owners who are busy running their respective companies. In fact, numbers from Statista show an upward trend in laundry services in the Philippines with forecasted revenue to reach approximately US$88.2 million (around PHP 4.94 billion) by 2024.

Moreover, the marketing research and consulting company Grand View Research reports that the market for global dry cleaning and laundry services is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.4% from 2020 to 2027—which is valued at US$79.91 billion (around PHP 4.46 trillion) by the end of the forecasted period.

With a positive trend toward laundry businesses, many business owners have ventured into this industry. Many self-service laundry shops have opened, as well as laundromats. Take for example WeClean—an up-and-coming laundromat that started just last 2017.

To date, it has over 65 branches in Metro Manila alone. But the more noteworthy aspect of this shop? All branches are wholly-owned and managed by a four-man team of entrepreneurs: Alfonso Bigeriego, the founder and CEO; Eduardo Ros, the finance and strategy head; Alejandro Gonzales of operations; and Jorge Garcia, who handles marketing and partnerships.

This is their story.

What's the story behind WeClean? What inspired you to venture into the laundry or cleaning industry?