Entrepreneur Javier Llacuna left his career in a multinational retail trade to create his own business just ten years ago. “I was looking for something franchiseable, profitable and sustainable, that offered a basic and automated service”, he recalls. Under these criteria, he decided to open a self-consumption laundry in the Clot neighborhood of Barcelona under the name of La Wash, a sector that until then had been little exploited in Spain.

In a decade, that neighborhood car laundromat has given rise to a chain with 300 establishments in Spain and Portugal, including its own stores and franchises –the majority–, with a turnover of fifteen million euros. Now Llacuna wants to go one step further, open new car-laundry formats and expand the business to other countries. "We have a very ambitious growth plan, the goal is to reach fifteen markets in five years, especially in Latin America and the Middle East, where this business is incipient," explains Llacuna.

The brand opened for the first time in 2011 in the Clot neighborhood; now disembark in Mexico and Malta

At the moment they have prepared the landing in Mexico and Malta. “Mexico is a strategic market, due to its size and because it is a gateway to Latin America; we have everything ready to open at the end of the year with a local partner”, he affirms. In the case of Malta, it was an investment group that proposed taking La Wash there. Next year they will begin to work to reach other countries, until reaching the proposed fortnight in 2026.

This rapid growth, explains Llacuna, is possible because the company is behind the British group Photo-Me. The holding company acquired La Wash in 2018, and Llacuna maintains the position of general manager in Spain, in addition to being responsible for the global growth of the brand. “This allows us to expand more safely, as well as invest in R&D,” he says.

Regarding research, the chain has developed an energy and water saving system that will cut the cost of supplies by 30% more in each establishment. "It is a system for the use of heat, especially from the dryers, which are the ones that use the most electricity," summarizes Llacuna. They are also looking for new biodegradable detergents that minimize pollution.

Environmental sustainability is one of the backbones of the business. “In fact, our clients don't come just to save money; many have an ecological motivation, with a profile of young people who want to consume less”, he summarizes.

Apart from international expansion, La Wash plans to promote new laundromat formats, such as self-consumption boxes at gas stations or shopping centers.