CINET’s Global Best Practices Awards 2020 was held on 4 and 5 November with over 1,000 professionals from the industry taking part in an extensive programme held over a total of seven hours.

Originally this third edition of the Best Practice Awards was due to take place as part of Texcare International show in Frankfurt last June.

The international independent jury of 20 professionals announced their Overall Awards to Oxwash from the UK (Retail Textile Cleaning Cat Big), Oceanside Cleaners from the USA (Retail Textile Cleaning Cat -SME), and GCS – BIH 77 from France (Cat Industrial Textile Services). The Lifetime Award was for Masashi Shimenoki and the Yep Awards were granted to Blanc (France) and WAUWcloset (The Netherlands).

CINET CEO Peter Wennekes said in his welcome speech: “Indeed we live in difficult times for the global economy, and for almost all laundries and textile cleaners around the world, and it is not over yet. It will last for at least until the second part of 2021 as many experts claim.

“But yes, we need to develop new plans and prepare for a better future. Because at CINET we strongly believe in a fierce and strong recovery of the professional textile care industry. Based upon vision, huge new opportunities will be out there offering a strong new market demand. However, it will require professional entrepreneurial skills to develop them.

“It all will be about new ways of thinking, about new perspectives and new experiences.”

Oxwash were awarded winners in their category because of their innovative business approach, sustainable concept and operational organisation.

In other categories, CanDo Laundry Services (Wales) and Elite Drycleaners (Scotland) were also awarded as Country Winners with the highest scores in their country. Oxwash won for England.

CanDo Laundry Services were ninth in the Industrial Textile Services category. In the SME Retail Textile Cleaning category, Acorns of Lancashire were fourth, and Elite Drycleaners were 14th. Whilst Oxwash won the Retail Textile Cleaning (Big) category, the American Dry Cleaning Company came a close second. Our congratulations to all the UK-based winners and finalists.