Laundry may be one of the oldest services known to mankind, but organised laundry retail in India is a fairly recent phenomenon. When UClean opened its first store in Delhi in early 2017, there was no reference framework for them – no organised chains and no defined retail category.

“We weren’t entering a category. We were creating one,” says Arunabh Sinha, Founder of UClean.

From that first outlet to over 825 stores today, UClean’s growth has been shaped by a sharp understanding of retail fundamentals – location, store size, format standardisation, and hyperlocal adaptation.

In an insightful and interesting conversation with Retail4Growth, Arunabh Sinha, Founder of UClean, reveals how an age-old, largely unorganised service is being scaled through modern retail thinking.

Starting small to experiment and learn

UClean’s initial retail footprint was deliberately limited. By the end of 2017, the brand had only three company-owned stores across Delhi-NCR. The focus during this phase wasn’t scale, but to learn.

“These first stores were our laboratories,” explains Arunabh. “We learned what machine mix works, how much space is enough, what customers actually care about and where we were going wrong.”

This hands-on retail experience helped UClean standardise operating processes, layout planning, and technology integration. Later in 2018, UClean formally opened its doors to franchising. The rationale was rooted in retail efficiency.

Laundry stores are machine-led, SOP-driven, and relatively low on human variability—making them easier to replicate across locations. “Any business where machines do most of the work is ideal for franchising,” Arunabh notes.

However, earlier adoption of the franchise model was slow, as laundry was seen as a socially unattractive profession. It took strategic brand positioning and the involvement of celebrity brand ambassadors to change perceptions and unlock retail interest. Once the narrative shifted, store openings followed.

COVID and the reset of retail growth

Before the pandemic, UClean had around 40 operational stores. COVID disrupted the network, forcing several outlets to shut, but the post-COVID phase marked a decisive shift in retail momentum.

“COVID made hygiene non-negotiable. Laundry suddenly became a priority service, not a convenience,” Arunabh says.

From 2022 onwards, UClean entered a rapid expansion phase. Today, nearly 95% of its total store count has been added post-COVID, driven by renewed consumer trust and strong franchise demand.

A decentralised approach to retail strategy