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LAUNDROMAT · Q1 2026 · 2.0×–4.0× SDE band held quarter-over-quarter (n=78, BizBuySell trailing-12-month closed deals)LAUNDROMAT · WDF/PUD revenue presented at gross margin without loaded labor in 71% of deals · Largest post-LOI repricing sourceLAUNDROMAT · Equipment over 10 years in 34% of deals · Utility share above 30% in 38% · Aged-fleet correlationLAUNDROMAT · #1 SBA fall-through: lease term under 10 years · Ahead of cash-revenue verification and DSCR failureLAUNDROMAT · 12% of sites flagged for PERC contamination from prior dry-cleaning · Phase I non-negotiableLAUNDROMAT · Industry size $5.5B (IBISWorld 2024) · ~3% CAGR 2020–2025LAUNDROMAT · BLS 51-6011 median wage ~$30K (May 2024) · WDF labor cost is the dominant Earnings Quality findingLAUNDROMAT · CSC ServiceWorks (Star Capital) · WASH Multifamily (Pamlico) · PE-led route consolidation continuesLAUNDROMAT · Speed Queen / Alliance / Dexter / Continental Girbau lead OEM share · Equipment finance terms tighteningLAUNDROMAT · Card-system penetration (PayRange, CCI, Speed Queen Insights) is the dominant revenue verification toolJAPAN · コインランドリー unattended-format growth · 1.5×–2.8× EBITDA band typical · Higher card/IC payment penetrationMETHODOLOGY · Acquidex v1.0 · Sample window 2025-04 → 2026-03 · Trailing 12 months · n=78 SMB transactionsLAUNDROMAT · Q1 2026 · 2.0×–4.0× SDE band held quarter-over-quarter (n=78, BizBuySell trailing-12-month closed deals)LAUNDROMAT · WDF/PUD revenue presented at gross margin without loaded labor in 71% of deals · Largest post-LOI repricing sourceLAUNDROMAT · Equipment over 10 years in 34% of deals · Utility share above 30% in 38% · Aged-fleet correlationLAUNDROMAT · #1 SBA fall-through: lease term under 10 years · Ahead of cash-revenue verification and DSCR failureLAUNDROMAT · 12% of sites flagged for PERC contamination from prior dry-cleaning · Phase I non-negotiableLAUNDROMAT · Industry size $5.5B (IBISWorld 2024) · ~3% CAGR 2020–2025LAUNDROMAT · BLS 51-6011 median wage ~$30K (May 2024) · WDF labor cost is the dominant Earnings Quality findingLAUNDROMAT · CSC ServiceWorks (Star Capital) · WASH Multifamily (Pamlico) · PE-led route consolidation continuesLAUNDROMAT · Speed Queen / Alliance / Dexter / Continental Girbau lead OEM share · Equipment finance terms tighteningLAUNDROMAT · Card-system penetration (PayRange, CCI, Speed Queen Insights) is the dominant revenue verification toolJAPAN · コインランドリー unattended-format growth · 1.5×–2.8× EBITDA band typical · Higher card/IC payment penetrationMETHODOLOGY · Acquidex v1.0 · Sample window 2025-04 → 2026-03 · Trailing 12 months · n=78 SMB transactions
Industry Intelligence · Laundromat · Q1 2026
Updated · 2026-04-30Refresh · QuarterlyAuthor · Avery Hastings, CPA

Laundromat acquisitions sit in a 2.0×–4.0× SDE band. Where a specific deal lands is structural, not negotiated.

Q1 2026 headline read
Quarterly · Updated 2026-04-30
PILLAR 01
Earnings Quality
71%
Q1 2026 baseline

of deals presented WDF revenue at gross margin without fully-loaded labor. Largest source of post-LOI repricing.

PILLAR 02
Pricing
2.0×–4.0×
→ Band held, dispersion widening

SDE multiple band stable. Equipment age driving placement more than any factor in the trailing 24 months.

PILLAR 03
Fundability
#1
Q1 2026 baseline

SBA fall-through cause: lease term under 10 years. Ahead of unverified cash revenue and DSCR failure.

PILLAR 04
Transferability
12%
Q1 2026 baseline

of sites flagged for PERC contamination from prior dry-cleaning operations. Phase I diligence non-negotiable.

This quarter in
Laundromat
Q1 2026 · Jan–Mar

The 2.0×–4.0× SDE band held this quarter, but the dispersion within it widened. Equipment age is doing more of the work in pricing than at any point in the trailing 24 months — stores with average machine age over 10 years transacted at the lower third of the band even when other conditions were intact.

The pattern to watch: WDF and PUD revenue presented at gross margin contribution to SDE appeared in 71% of deals reviewed. Fully-loaded labor analysis brought these lines to break-even or below in roughly two-thirds of cases. This is now the largest source of post-LOI repricing in the sample window.

Read the full Q1 2026 Atlas →
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Every Atlas keeps a permanent dated URL. Cited reports never break. Compare bands across quarters; track structural shifts over time.

  1. Q1 2026Equipment Age, Lease Runway, and the WDF Labor LieRead →
Methodology

Acquidex v1.0, §3.4 (Earnings Quality), §3.3 (Transferability), §5.1 (Add-Back Stripping per SBA SOP 50 10 8). Methodology paper forthcoming Q3 2026.

Sample

Window: 2025-04 → 2026-03 (trailing 12 months). BizBuySell closed-deal data, IBBA Market Pulse Q3–4 2025 and Q1 2026, Pratt's Stats SMB transaction database, Acquidex direct deal observations

Refresh

Quarterly. Last update: 2026-04-30. Atlas archive at /intel/laundromat/atlas.

Author

Avery Hastings, CPA. Tokyo-based; SMB and lower-middle-market acquisitions in the US and Japan.

Acquidex · Industry Intelligence · 2026
AQX-IR-LDM-2026Q1 · v1.0
Laundromat Acquisition Intelligence: Multiples Band, Atlas, Playbook, Scored Deals | Acquidex