Zips Dry Cleaners

ZIPS Cleaners is a value-focused dry cleaning and garment care chain that offers simple pricing and quick turnaround across multiple U.S. markets. The company operates a mix of franchised and company-run locations that provide dry cleaning, laundered shirts, wash-and-fold, and related garment care services. Most stores sit in neighborhood and community shopping centers, where convenient access and repeat weekly visits are central to the model.

The brand’s origin goes back to the mid-1990s in the Baltimore–Washington, D.C. region, when a group of local dry cleaners created a single-price approach that later became the ZIPS nameplate. The company identifies 1996 as the start of the ZIPS system. Franchising followed in the 2000s as the concept expanded beyond its Mid-Atlantic base. A notable milestone came in the mid-2010s, when ZIPS signed larger multi-unit development agreements that carried the brand into metro areas such as Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles and marked its shift from a regional chain into a broader multi-state platform.

As of April 2024, ZIPS Cleaners has roughly 65 locations across more than a dozen states, with a concentration in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, and California, along with a growing presence in Southeast and select Midwest markets. ZIPS Franchising LLC leads growth through franchising, with a particular emphasis on multi-unit operators. In recent years the company has focused on filling in established Mid-Atlantic trade areas while expanding deeper into Texas, the Chicago area, Los Angeles and its suburbs, Southeast regional metros, and targeted suburban markets in the Midwest.

Over the past five years, ZIPS has evolved from a primarily Mid-Atlantic chain into a recognizable regional-to-national brand. The network has widened through franchise agreements and new market entries, while the real estate strategy has sharpened around infill in existing metros and disciplined expansion into new designated market areas. Current efforts prioritize end-cap and inline space in grocery-anchored and daily-needs centers in dense suburban and urban locations where easy ingress and egress support frequent customer use.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, ZIPS functions as a service-oriented tenant that draws consistent weekday and Saturday traffic and pairs naturally with everyday retail. The concept brings a standardized operating model, predictable hours, and a regular pattern of repeat visits that can help support surrounding quick-service restaurants, fitness users, and neighborhood retailers. Real estate decisions are guided by senior leadership, including the CEO, Chief Development Officer, and Director of Real Estate, with franchise development teams managing many inbound site opportunities as the system continues to grow.