Newey’s new owners see business as usual

Newey’s Drive-Thru Cleaners has been, simply, one of the best-run businesses in Orange for decades.

 New owners, Mike Chambers and Kylie Robinson, want to keep it that way.

 Recently taking-over this Colour City Institution after nearly four decades of continuous service from John and Karen Colgan, Mick says, it’s business as usual.

 “That’s the reputation that Newey’s has, that it’s a very reliable and well-run business, and that was a big part of the attraction to us,” Mike said.

 “Totally, for us, it’s business as usual, it’s been a well-run operation for a long-time,” he added.

 He pointed-out that out of the three staff on hand, two had 20 years’ service with the company with that stability a sign of the smooth running of the enterprise.

 While dry-cleaning is, for most people, a very specialised field and with both Mike and Kylie coming from business and marketing backgrounds, the loyalty and support of the staff has been essential.

 “We felt comfortable taking on a business where the staff have all stayed for long periods, it’s a good sign,” he said.

 “They really are a great team, they’ve been here a long-time and they really know their stuff, which we are grateful for,” he added.

 “We only took-over eight weeks ago… my background was as an insurance broker, project manager, and farmer. Kylie was in marketing for 20 years,” he said.

 “There is a technical, front-of-house part of the business that is to do with the processes we use, different types of chemical and mechanical processes,” he said, adding, “it is a specialised field.”

 “We use various techniques, steam, gas, chemical and water and a combination of them at different levels, depending on the material and type of stain we are treating.”

 Like any good operator, Mike and Kylie are prepared to learn as they go.

 “The first thing, I’d say, is that it’s a learning curve we are on. We’re relying of course on the processes and systems that John and Karen put in place,” he added.

 The various stop-start lockdowns, however, have made their first two-months an interesting experience for the couple, with first the flood, and then the dry…

 “The first month that we were here, the driveway was full, I mean it was fast-paced, we were flat-out,” he said.

 “But since the new lockdown, look for yourself, it’s quiet as,” he added, saying that they view the business as a long-term investment with this, their first lean period.

 “From a farming perspective, this is our drought and we’ve just got to come-out the other side,” he said.

 “We just need to do our piece, follow the rules, and we’ll all get through this.”

 One of the areas where he sees potential growth is in reaching a younger market who buy less-traditional clothes but, for whom dry-cleaning can have a range of benefits.

 “We need to reach-out to younger people, help them understand the benefits. That, if they dry clean something, it will be brighter, we can get out the oils and stains and inks that washing won’t.”

 Post-pandemic lockdown, Mike says he and Kylie are looking forward to getting back to the same seamless, hassle-free service that Newey’s has always provided.

 “It’s a good business, that’s why we bought it, we’re going to be here for the long-term,” Mike concluded.