Duncan Fraser, owner of Beauly Laundrette, tells us their story of resilience, from a devastating fire to a thriving local business.
At the end of August 21 our laundry burnt down, it was devastating , we had just put up that building 3 years before and the business was still growing.
It took 4 months to find a new building to move to and then another 13 months to get it ready by the time we had jumped through all the paper work hoops and sourced the replacement equipment.
In the intervening months most of our previous staff had moved on and got new jobs but some key employees were still with us and they brought with them a huge wealth of experience in the laundry industry.
So at the start of 2023 we had every thing in place and it was time to start interviewing for new staff, in the previous building it had always been the case that we just looked for someone who could do the job, This time we had the time to be more focused on building a team, they would become our core and the culture and attitudes that we prioritised, and they bought in to, would set the the culture of the business to any new employees and to our customers.
In preparation for opening on the 28th we had everyone for training the week before, with the new equipment and new staff with little experience in the industry, this became a positive as everyone was starting from the same place, and with the help from Colin Patterson who has a wealth of experience at all levels in the laundry industry, who was there to deliver the training.
We were able to build a team who look forward to coming in to work, whose focus is on delivering high quality of work, and who are willing to do what is needed to meet the customers needs.
We contacted all our old customers who were delighted to hear we were open again and most have come back to us, and at this time the laundry in Invergordon closed and Neil their delivery driver has come to work for us, but more from him later.
In our first year back we have been able to better our previous last years trading figures, and with the new equipment have had less staff hours, but with increases in utility bills and staff costs we are no better off financially.
But we have achieved what we set out to do for this year; we have reestablished the business and created a core team of experienced employees with whom we can expand the business. And we are all looking forward to the coming season, confident that we are fully prepared for the challenges ahead.
If you have a requirement for any of our services whether it is a hotel or holiday let with a regular pick up and drop off or just a one off suit /dress for dry cleaning or something special like kilt or wedding dress we can do it
Our vans go as far as Scourie in the north out to Torrin on Skye, to the west, up to Lairg and Golspie on the east, and as far as Fort Augustus down the Great Glen. We are now going into Inverness and surrounding areas.
For more information on Beauly Laundrette and Dry Cleaners please visit https://beaulylaundrette.co.uk/ or phone 01463 783604.