Haier Group subsidiary Aqua Co is launching a chain of laundry shops in Mainland China to raise awareness of its washing machines and tap demand from double-income families for time-saving convenience.  

The first Aqua Laundry Shop opened at Haier Cloud Park in the Laoshan district of Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, earlier this month. Aqua now plans to create a “Japanese-style coin laundry market” in China.

According to its own data, Aqua holds the leading share of the Japanese coin-operated laundry market in unit volume. Now the Aqua Laundry Shop in Qingdao will set out to promote the “coin-laundry culture” in China, where coin-operated laundry facilities have not been widely used yet. The company will  conduct market research, provide user experiences and share business models with prospective operators.

“Because there are many dual-income households in major Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Qingdao, Aqua believes that there are needs for shorter working hours among the people in China who want to get housework done quickly without spending much time,” said a company spokesperson. 

In the two-story, 289sqm debut shop, there are 10 units of Japanese-made Aqua coin-operated laundry equipment operating.