How To Grow Your Business - Barker Group Dorset

Barker Laundry is one of only five dedicated true domestic laundry’s in the country that specialises in the collection and delivery of laundry to the general public. We cover the central southern part of England delivering between Oxford, Bath, Bridport, Brighton & London and everywhere in between. Our customers are amongst the elite of British society and include members of the Royal Family and many other well known people. The business has evolved from a small, backstreet, laundry, which, until 2005, operated from the original site in Latimer Road, Winton. The history of this laundry goes back to 1861 when the Argyll Family started trading as the Argyll Laundry providing door to door weekly collection and delivery of laundry to households and guesthouses throughout Bournemouth. Such was the popularity and subsequent growth of Bournemouth that by the 1930’s there were some 30 laundry’s operating in the conurbation, many situated in the Winton and Moordown area but with the advent of the household washing machine in the 50’s and 60’s, the days of many domestic laundries were numbered. 

The growth of Barker’s Laundry has come, primarily, from the demise of many smaller domestic laundries which have been acquired and absorbed into the main production facility at Winton. Fenton Laundry in Southbourne, Gainsboro in Sherborne and Anton Laundry in Andover have all been acquired in the last ten years. There are now fewer domestic laundry’s to provide growth but far from being a predicament, we see this as the time to continue developing our skills and becoming the No 1 provider of fully finished laundry services to the general public. 

We shall continue to provide high quality finishes to bed linen and table linen but also we are developing niche services such as starched detachable collars where we have become the world leading providers to an international market. We now remake feather pillows for a growing number of clients and every year the number of duvets we clean is growing. Our clients will soon be able to purchase fine linens and clothes care accessories from our drivers, in our shops or from the website. Our database of clients may not now grow significantly but the list of specialist services we provide to them will and these will be services that are hard for anyone else to provide. 

Matthew Barker

Managing Director

Barker Group

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What is Barker Total Laundry Care - tlc
Matthew Barker - Dry Cleaning in his Blood

What is Barker Total Laundry Care?

Barker tlc, (Total Laundry Care) is a new offering from Barker Group providing a one stop shop for all fabric care needs. Barker tlc is a combination of professional dry cleaning and a launderette which delivers a 4 hour turnaround for dry cleaning on 6 days of the week at the counter as well as fully serviced launderette facilities. Barker tlc is a total fabric care centre offering advice and solutions to difficult laundry problems. 

Laundry is a regular weekly chore and Barkers understand this. That is why you can now set up a regular free collection and delivery service from your home or place of work for your laundry and dry cleaning. “Why? Because there are better things to do than laundry” say’s Barker Group Managing Director, Matthew Barker. “Why do your washing at home when, for very little money, you can drop off all your laundry or have it collected by us, washed, folded and returned within a time frame to suit you.” 

Bournemouth based Barker Group are a leading dry cleaning and laundry company in Southern England and are World leaders in the provision of starched dress wear to an international market. Call now for more information on 01202 291295

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About Barker Group
Find Our Stores

Barker Group - Back from the Brink

In this very uncertain economic climate, it is interesting for anyone owning or operating a business to see how other companies in their market or region are performing, good or bad.

With this in mind I thought I would comment, over a number of weeks, on how we are finding the current conditions, the problems and challenges we are facing and our general outlook and opinion of the future for Barker Group.

I will explain our development in the last few years, the troubles we experienced following a disastrous event that nearly caused the business to fold. How we staved off disaster and got back to profit. The good and the very bad decisions that I made during our recovery and how, using what I’ve learnt from the troubled last few years, we plan to grow profits over the next few years.

I think it is important to explain the developments of Barker Group in the last few years. If you are interested, this blog chronicles the history of the company and how I entered the family business in 1990. I bought the company in 2000 and spent the following five years building our network of agents throughout central Southern England and Greater London. Our turnover grew from £1M to £2.4M. Profitability increased accordingly and we greatly reduced our borrowing. We were extremely healthy, everything looked good but then disaster struck one September afternoon in 2005. 

Please visit us over the next few weeks to read more.

Matthew Barker

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Fire in our Dorset Depot

Managing a Rural Business

Despite being Bournemouth based with most of its branches in the local conurbation, Barker Group generates 60% of their revenue from rural communities. “Probably 80% of our operation is in the town but it is from the country that we get the largest part of our turnover” say’s Managing Director Matthew Barker, “Our Laundry Collection & Delivery service is widely used throughout Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Surrey. It is in the country where the real wealth of the nation resides.”

Barker Group operates towards 30 routes every week delivering to nearly 2000 clients. A newly installed internet based tracker system ensures that each vehicle is maximised. Fuel wastage can spell disaster on a fleet covering approximately 500,000 miles a year. But the biggest advantage of the tracker system will soon be realised when Barker Group launch their internet based dry cleaning collection & delivery service across the South of England. “We are now in a position to direct our nearest vehicle to a client request on demand if required” continues Matthew, “Convenience is the most important factor in this busy age and this is even more critical in rural areas.”

One of the biggest drawbacks of operating in the country, however, is the weather. It may only be once or twice a year and for a brief period in the South but snow is the scourge of delivery services. This last January was the worst for many years and much of the country ground to a halt. Barker Group operated in some of the most inaccessible lanes and drives in the heart of the countryside. “We had one van stuck in a clients drive for two days this year. The customer received their laundry though and we managed to continue as much of the rest of the rounds with other vehicles but there were obviously a few we could not serve” explains transport Manager Miles Robbins. “The tracker system would have helped us keep tabs on the worst affected areas but we didn’t have it in January. Fortunately, these conditions are rare, I can’t remember the last time we couldn’t get a van to a customer and hopefully it won’t happen again for a long time.”

Much of the countryside depends on collection & delivery services and Barker Group sees much of its future growth coming from the countryside. The company intends to continue its growth in rural areas of Southern England and the new tracker system will ensure that the business continues to operate viably. Bournemouth based Barker Group is one of the largest independent Laundry and Dry Cleaning Company’s in the country.

Dry Cleaning at the Barker Group

Our dry cleaning operatives ensure, by thorough examination, that every mark and blemish that can be removed has been removed. Then through the application of the craftsman's art, each item is finished and pressed.

With generations of experience and expertise, as well as using state of the art technology, our Dry Cleaning Service (across the counties of Southern England) ensures that all garments are dry cleaned to perfection - from a suit or curtain to a very special garment such as a wedding dress.

When your cleaning is returned to you it will look as good as new, presented to you in packaging designed to protect your garment from the elements. Blending 21st century technology with the 19th century artisan's skill has made Barker's quality a benchmark of the Dry Cleaning industry.

Barker Group Newsletter August 2010

Barker Group Dorset Announces New Growth

It has been a good summer for the cleaning and laundry business and particularly for us/ Barker Group. Not only have our Dry Cleaning shops been busy but our laundry division, which provides bespoke and high quality laundry services to the great and the good, has performed better than expected. Most companies in this sector have not had a bad summer by comparison to last year, reporting that stagnation is a good result after the dismal trading of last year but Barker Group would appear to be bucking the trend by increasing like for like business by nearly 5%. Not content with this, Barker Group has taken on two new contracts, Lush cosmetics, early in the summer and more recently, Sunlight Laundries, Europe’s largest commercial laundry group, has commissioned Barker Group to undertake all their domestic laundry to private end users. Overall the increase in turnover for this financial year will be approximately 10% taking annualised turnover to approximately £2M.

“This is a benchmark figure for us following a slow recovery and return to profit following our fire in 2005.” Says managing director, Matthew Barker “We now have the momentum to continue this growth in the Domestic laundry market to £3M and we are currently exploring varies potential avenues to achieve this.”

Fire in the Dorset Depot - How Barker Group Survived

Today starts the first of a series of posts detailing a major fire within our warehouse and how we pulled Barker Group Dorset back from certain disaster. Over the next few weeks we will chronicle what steps we took to put the business back on it's feet again.

At 2pm on Tuesday 20th September 2005, I was showing 2 members of our staff from our Andover depot around our facilities in Bournemouth. We were just entering the main entrance of our laundry in Winton when I was greeted by my Operations Director, Ian. As he approached me I became aware of the mass of staff that had collected in the yard to the side of the building. A small fire had started following an electrical wire arc-ing. Ian and another Manager had managed to put the fire out and little damage had occurred but within 2 minutes of the fire starting, all staff had been evacuated to the muster point and the fire brigade were on their way. The fire brigade were brilliant. They arrived within five minutes of the call and spent the next hour damping the area and checking for hot spots with infra red heat seeking equipment. 

All the time the 70 staff employed at that site remained in the yard whilst fire officers diligently searched for potential hot spots and I walked the factory with the chief fire officer looking at potential future hazards that we could eliminate. All the while I was getting more agitated that I was paying 70 staff to stand around whilst our production was getting further behind. I was discussing the merits of removing a false ceiling in the centre of the factory when we heard a telling and frightening crackling sound above our heads. The Fire Chief called to an officer to get a ladder up into the ceiling void. As the officer lifted the ceiling panel, his whole body tensed as he dropped from the ladder to the ground and shouted “Get out now, she’s going!”  These guys know what’s coming but I am a business man and all I could think of was what I could take with me as I left the building. £1000’s of customers work and equipment was all I could see as the Fire Chief pulled me towards the exit. Within 45 minutes the whole building had burnt to the ground. 

Matthew Barker

Managing Director

Barker Group

Dorset

Read previous article here

Barker Group, Dorset - The Early Years

The Barker dry cleaning heritage goes back to Ken 'Rab' Barker, who started dry cleaning in the 1940's, and it would be true to say that without his influence the industry might well look very different today.

 Ken Barker set out to be, and was trained as, a land agent in Kent but the recession in the 30's changed all that and he joined the Ford Motor Company working for Lord Perry, where he became involved in the introduction of the first V8 Fords into the UK. It was endeavouring to sell Walter Knight one of these that bought them together.

Walter Knight, having returned from Kenya, a white hunter with a wife homesick for England, had to find a new career, Dry Cleaning and with Castle Cleaners of Hadleigh in Essex he needed a works manager and fellow Director. Ken having contracted TB in the 20's was exempt from military service and was thus able to operate the business during the war years, weekending as a member of Dad's Army - The Home Guard.

With military contracts and clothes rationing the business thrived. The Dying business, in particular, boomed, as more and more clothing needed to be dyed black with so many relatives loosing loved ones during the War. These Wartime profits allowed them to buy Collins Cleaners of Bexleyheath, Armfield and Son's Ltd, an old established Cleaners and Dyers and Household Services, a carpet cleaning business in Welwyn Garden City.

The First Step on the Cleaning Ladder

In 1947 Ken liked the business so much, he bought the company and moved his offices to Bexleyheath from where he built the business through the late forties and early fifties. By 1958 Collins Cleaners had some 40 shops and three factories.

Ken's sons, Anthony and David, having completed National Service in the Army, both joined Armfield & Son's Ltd. In the mid 1950's. In 1959 Ken became President of the National Federation of Dyers and Cleaners. This organisation was, in 1967 to become the ABLC and in 1989, the TSA. 

The Sale of Quality Cleaners to Sketchley Dry Cleaners

In 1960 Ken Barker sold Collins Cleaners to the 1940 Group of companies run by the Pickles Family. The 1940 Group was later sold to Sketchley's. Shortly after this Ken became Deputy Chairman of Quality Cleaners of Worcester and finally retired when he brokered the deal that was to see Sketchley Dry Cleaners double in size with the purchase of Quality Cleaners. At that time more than half the Sketchley branches had been created by Ken Barker.

Read more of Barker Group's history here

Barker Group Laundry Services

At Barker Group, we offer and extensive range of laundry services, from dry cleaning of clothes, duvets and sleeping bags, to a full laundry service for general clothing and wedding dresses.

Depending on which service you prefer, we can collect and deliver, or offer several high street stores throughout Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire where you can drop off and pick up your laundry items.

To find our stores go here 

See our delivery and collection service here

Matthew Barker - Dry Cleaning in his Blood

Anthony's Son and current Managing Director of Barker Group

"I grew up in Dry Cleaning. Modern machinery and legislation have changed things slightly, but the whiff of Perc.* is one of those smells that takes me back to my childhood. The business is in the blood, and I love it. Many people have said that to work in this industry is not just a career, it's a disease and there are few cures. But when my Parents bought the laundry, I thought they were mad. Life changed overnight. The hours were long and took their toll. They started using swear words when talking about work. There was a new language I didn't understand. The only 'overs' and 'shorts' I'd known were in the cricket pavilion after a match, not as a reference to unsatisfactory laundry production. I could only wonder what 'stiff collars' were!"

Matthew continues "I was appalled by the laundry business, it seemed like a daft way to make a living, and I was having nothing to do with it. That was until, in 1989 when I was operating my own company publishing a discount directory. The first Gulf War occurred and oil prices went through the roof. We were plunged into the worst recession for fifty years, I needed cash badly and Dad needed a driver, and that was my entry into the laundry business."

The Barker Group is Born

 

In the last fifteen years, the Barker Laundry has gone from strength to strength. In 2000 Matthew bought the company from his Father, re-branding to Barker Group in 2002. Barker Group consists of four divisions:

Barker Laundry now services more Dry Cleaners than any other laundry in the country as well as providing the much required weekly door-to-door collection and delivery of a domestic laundry service. Back in 1986 Anthony Barker sold the companies dry cleaning interests to Johnson Cleaners UK but in 1995 Barker Dry Cleaning returned to the High Street and now have an expanding chain of cleaners in the Southern Counties. Barker Workwear supplies many of Dorset's workplaces with uniforms, dust control mats and washroom services on a purchase or rental basis, and Barker Collars is the world's largest manufacturer of collars for formal dress wear supplying Royalty, Admiralty, Judiciary and the general public throughout the world.

So what next for the Barker Group? The final word must go to Matthew Barker "I am a Barker and we don't stand still, all I can say is - keep visiting our website for news!"

About Barker Group

Barker Group is a locally based, independent laundry & dry cleaning company in Dorset, offering a wide variety of products under one roof throughout the South of England. From domestic dry cleaning and laundry services to uniform and health and safety solutions to businesses of all sizes, we believe our professional and customer orientated approach offers great value.

Barker Group consists of 4 divisions:

Barker Dry Cleaning is the largest independent Dry Cleaning company in Dorset.

Barker Laundry is one of only a handful of laundries in the UK dedicated to the provision of a weekly, fully finished laundry service to the general public. Our collection and delivery of laundry only serves to enhance this service.

Barker Workwear is a one stop shop for the purchase or rental of work apparel, dust control mats and washroom facilities for businesses throughout Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and surrounding counties.

Barker Collars is the only international supplier of a detachable starched stiff collar laundry service.

For more information on any of our services please email or telephone us, or why not visit one of our branches at:
• Bournemouth town centre
• Charminster
• Lower Parkstone
• Boscombe
• Ferndown
• Andover
• Sherborne

To find our branch locations click here

The Start of Anthony A. Barker Ltd.

Anthony Barker arrived in his Battersea office one day to find that he was working for Fred Pickles, Chairman of the 1940 Group. He was quickly promoted to Group sales Manager with approximately 80 shops and 5 Laundries to promote. Later that same year Anthony left the 1940 group and joined Marlow Cleaners run by an ebullient Irishman. In 1961 Anthony left Marlow Cleaners and with three friends, Tony Stevens, Ian Tuson and Simon Murray, opened Harlequin Cleaners and later Commodore Cleaners subsequently to become Columbine Cleaners. In 1972 Anthony took three shops in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch founding Anthony A. Barker Ltd.

The Move South

Looking for larger premises with which to operate commercial dry cleaning, Anthony came across a small laundry in Bournemouth. The Argyle Laundry, as it was then known, had existed since 1861 providing domestic laundry services to households and latterly to hotels and guesthouses in the area. The premises were not large enough and the capital did not exist to pursue commercial laundry activities in the same way that most laundries were at that time.

The End of Domestic Laundry?

Thousands of small laundries had survived on the door-to-door domestic service, but the numbers had been decimated with the advent of the domestic washing machine, and by the considerable financial benefits to be gained by larger laundries in concentrating their efforts on linen rental and thus stopping the domestic service. Domestic laundry, the provision of a weekly washing service to the public, with the massive variety of different items and finishes, required at least four times the amount of labour and plant as were needed to provide commercial laundry services.

In 1950 there were 6000 laundries in the United Kingdom. Today there are a mere 600.

Keeping The Traditional Alive

Undaunted by these facts, Anthony and his wife Valerie decided that the future of the Anthony A. Barker laundry lay in the provision of high quality Domestic laundry services not just to the general public through door-to-door collection and delivery but also to a wider market by supplying the service to dry cleaners. After all, this was a market not unfamiliar to them.

Read previous Barker Group history here 
Read the next chapter in Barker Group history here

Barker's Stiff Collar Service for Detachable Collars

Who Uses Our Collar Laundering Service?

Most of our shirt collars are produced for retail markets in the UK, Europe and South Africa, but we also launder and restarch collars for Royalty, the Judiciary, The Armed Forces and the General Public throughout the UK and the rest of the world.

We provided the collars for the Sherlock Holmes movie....Our collars can also be seen on stage, screen and television. "Passage to India", "Titanic" and "Shacklet" are just a few of the period productions that have used Barker Collars. We have also supplied 1000 collars for the Inspector Poirot TV series. Well known Theatre and Production Companies are amongst our clients including: The Almeida Theatre, New Shakespeare Company, Bill Kenwright Productions and the Scottish National Opera.
Barker Group Detachable Collars
Although fashions and style change over the years, we at Barker Group in Dorset, have always realised the value of tradition and quality.We actively take part in the manufacture of over 90% of the world production of new detachable stiff collars. It is estimated that the world market is somewhere in the region of 65,000 - 80,000 new collars sold every year.

We launder in excess of 60,000 detachable stiff collars every year and the numbers are continuing to grow. By ensuring that antique equipment is maintained, and that the craftsmen's skills are passed on, Barker Collars has become the largest launderer of detachable stiff collars in the world.

What Types of Collar Do We Launder and Restarch?

We launder and restarch all types of collars, including Turndown Collars, Wing Collars and Straight (Imperial) Collars. Please note that in addition to providing this exceptional service, we also clean and starch dress shirts and Marcella waistcoats, as well as white ties and barristers tabs.

How Do I Get My Stiff Collars Laundered Cleaned?

Five generations of craftsmans knowledge is used to return client's stiff collars to pristine condition. Our despatch department then ensures that the cleaned stiff collars are returned to their owners as quickly as possible.

Local Residents in the Poole/Bournemouth/Andover/Sherborne areas can contact any of our Barker Dry Cleaning Branches. Click here for details of your nearest branch.

Worldwide (and UK wide) by Post - from Australia to Austria, Boston to Bombay, all over the world, our parcels of stiff collars are on route to their owners. Processing from receipt to return posting takes approximately a week.

Find Our Branches in Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire

Charminster Branch & Head Office

121 Charminster Road, Charminster, Bournemouth. Dorset. BH8 8UH
Tel: 01202 291295
Fax: 01202 290402
Map

Barker Group - Laundry
The Laundry, Rear of 3 Dominion Road, Wallisdown, Bournemouth. Dorset. BH11 8LH
Tel: 01202 291295
Map

Bournemouth Branch
26 Richmond Hill, Bournemouth. Dorset. BH2 6EJ
Tel: 01202 587999
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Parkstone Branch
27 Church Road, Parkstone, Poole. Dorset. BH14 8UF
Tel: 01202 748751
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Boscombe Branch
28 Ashley Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth. Dorset. BH1 4LH
Tel: 01202 720271
Map

Andover Branch
136 Weyhill Road, Andover. Hampshire. SP10 3BG
Parking available in front of the shop.
Tel: 01264 352815
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Sherborne Branch
3 South Street, Sherborne. Dorset. DT9 3LN
Tel: 01935 816070
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Ferndown Branch
123 Victoria Road. Ferndown, Dorset. BH22 9HU
Tel: 01202 871007
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