Pratt Abbott sells uniform, linen rental business to Pennsylvania company
Pratt Abbott, the Westbrook-based company that is well known for its dry cleaning operations, has sold its uniform and linen rental business to ImageFIRST, the nation’s largest linen rental and laundry service specializing in the health care market.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Pratt Abbott, which also has a service center in Portsmouth, N.H., is ImageFIRST’s first facility in the state of Maine and its ninth location in the New England region.
"Before this, we only went as far north as Portland and we had customers farther north than that asking when would we get there. This deal allows us to extend our reach," Jay Juffre, executive vice president of ImageFIRST told Mainebiz.
Meanwhile, the deal will allow Pratt Abbott, which primarily focused on the hospitality sector, to expand its customer base and balance its business more efficiently year-round.
"Pratt Abbott, being focused on hospitality mostly, is very busy in the summer with a lot of seasonal work and less busy in the winter. By expanding the medical side, it will bring a lot more balance to the plant," Juffre said.
Pratt Abbott currently operates its Westbrook plant for one shift, five days a week. The deal with ImageFIRST should help double that capacity over the next 12 months, Juffre said.
ImageFIRST, based in King of Prussia, Pa., will be investing in the Westbook facility with more equipment and by upgrading some elements of the overall plant itself.
Existing leadership and employees of Pratt Abbott, founded in 1944, will be retained as part of the transaction, ImageFIRST said. Juffre said ImageFIRST expects to add more jobs in Pratt Abbott's operations, as well.
The deal serves as a key step in ImageFIRST’s geographic expansion. The broader national coverage also supports the company's national account division as it seeks to expand its offerings to more multiregional accounts.
Juffre said ImageFIRST's goal is to be in every major market nationally and it is about 85% towards that goal. Other acquisitions, however, are on the horizon.
"There's still a few dots on the map that we need to get to. Customers drive us into new markets and we want to be where they need us," Juffre said.
Founded in 1967, ImageFIRST was acquired by private equity firm Calera Capital in 2018. ImageFIRST serves medical facilities nationwide providing linen, patient gowns, scrubs, and more while managing their clients’ linen inventory for cost management.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments