Child Apparel Reuse Booths Exceed 200 Locations – Blue Sky Laundry Expands to Over 400 Stores Nationwide with New Openings in April
Blue Sky Laundry has expanded to over 400 stores nationwide with six new openings in April 2026. Concurrently, their "Child Apparel Reuse Booths," an initiative born from employee feedback, have surpassed 200 locations across 205 stores, fostering a circular childcare support network. These booths, strategically placed in coin laundries where 70% of customers are families, have collected over 8,000 items of children's clothing, promoting reuse and community support.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 03:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 2, 2026 at 19:35
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 07:31 (347h 56m after Collected)
Blue Sky Laundry, a coin laundry chain operated by GIB Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture; Representative Director: Mamoru Suzuki), opened six new stores nationwide in April 2026, expanding its total number of stores to over 400.
Concurrently, the "Child Apparel Reuse Booths" installed at each store have expanded to 205 locations nationwide, surpassing 200 hubs. This initiative, connecting the concept of "mottainai" (avoiding waste), is fostering a circular childcare support network within local communities.
Blue Sky Laundry operates under the concept of "a lifestyle with coin laundries," aiming to reduce household chores and enable efficient use of time through time-saving large washing and drying machines and clean store operations.
■List of New Stores Opened in April 2026
[Opened on April 3]
・Blue Sky Laundry Okuwa Kashihara Masuga Store
555-3 Kitamyōhōji-chō, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture
Business Hours: 6:00 - 22:00
・Blue Sky Laundry Komeri Power Kitaibaraki Store
2095 Kamioosai, Nakagō-chō, Kitaibaraki City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
[Opened on April 17]
・Blue Sky Laundry JA Farmers Tomioka Store
1891-1 Tomioka, Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
・Blue Sky Laundry Maeda Store Hiketa Store
3-2 Hiketa 1-chome, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
[Opened on April 24]
・Blue Sky Laundry Osakaya Shop Matto Store
435-1 Gohoichi-machi, Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
[Opened on April 28]
・Blue Sky Laundry Ayahadio Katata Store
36-11 Kinugawa 1-chome, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
■Child Apparel Reuse Booth Initiative
The "Child Apparel Reuse Booth" initiative was born from the voices of employees.
During conversations among employees who had experience raising children, comments such as "There are so many children's clothes that have hardly been worn" and "It's a waste to throw them away, but I don't know what to do with them" came up. This led to the idea of "Can we expand this system to childcare households nationwide?" and the project was launched.
Under the slogan "Mottainai for someone else's sake," the initiative began in 2022. Initially launched at 11 locations, it has continued to expand with the support of crowdfunding and coin laundry owners, now reaching 205 stores nationwide and surpassing 200 hubs.
■Reasons for Deployment at Coin Laundries
・Approximately 70% of customers are housewives and families.
・There is a high affinity between the timing of reviewing and organizing children's clothes and laundry.
・Open from early morning to late night, making it easily accessible according to various lifestyles.
Leveraging these characteristics, by establishing a system where items can be "easily given and received" within the flow of daily laundry, these locations have become places where mutual support naturally emerges within the community.
■Achievements
Over 8,000 items of children's clothing, mainly ranging from 70cm to 160cm, including accessories like hats, have been collected from all over the country.
■Future Outlook
Moving forward, through this initiative, we will continue to foster an environment where parenting households can support each other, promote the establishment of a reuse culture and a circular society, and form local communities that lead to childcare support.
Concurrently, the "Child Apparel Reuse Booths" installed at each store have expanded to 205 locations nationwide, surpassing 200 hubs. This initiative, connecting the concept of "mottainai" (avoiding waste), is fostering a circular childcare support network within local communities.
Blue Sky Laundry operates under the concept of "a lifestyle with coin laundries," aiming to reduce household chores and enable efficient use of time through time-saving large washing and drying machines and clean store operations.
■List of New Stores Opened in April 2026
[Opened on April 3]
・Blue Sky Laundry Okuwa Kashihara Masuga Store
555-3 Kitamyōhōji-chō, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture
Business Hours: 6:00 - 22:00
・Blue Sky Laundry Komeri Power Kitaibaraki Store
2095 Kamioosai, Nakagō-chō, Kitaibaraki City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
[Opened on April 17]
・Blue Sky Laundry JA Farmers Tomioka Store
1891-1 Tomioka, Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
・Blue Sky Laundry Maeda Store Hiketa Store
3-2 Hiketa 1-chome, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
[Opened on April 24]
・Blue Sky Laundry Osakaya Shop Matto Store
435-1 Gohoichi-machi, Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
[Opened on April 28]
・Blue Sky Laundry Ayahadio Katata Store
36-11 Kinugawa 1-chome, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
Business Hours: 24 hours
■Child Apparel Reuse Booth Initiative
The "Child Apparel Reuse Booth" initiative was born from the voices of employees.
During conversations among employees who had experience raising children, comments such as "There are so many children's clothes that have hardly been worn" and "It's a waste to throw them away, but I don't know what to do with them" came up. This led to the idea of "Can we expand this system to childcare households nationwide?" and the project was launched.
Under the slogan "Mottainai for someone else's sake," the initiative began in 2022. Initially launched at 11 locations, it has continued to expand with the support of crowdfunding and coin laundry owners, now reaching 205 stores nationwide and surpassing 200 hubs.
■Reasons for Deployment at Coin Laundries
・Approximately 70% of customers are housewives and families.
・There is a high affinity between the timing of reviewing and organizing children's clothes and laundry.
・Open from early morning to late night, making it easily accessible according to various lifestyles.
Leveraging these characteristics, by establishing a system where items can be "easily given and received" within the flow of daily laundry, these locations have become places where mutual support naturally emerges within the community.
■Achievements
Over 8,000 items of children's clothing, mainly ranging from 70cm to 160cm, including accessories like hats, have been collected from all over the country.
■Future Outlook
Moving forward, through this initiative, we will continue to foster an environment where parenting households can support each other, promote the establishment of a reuse culture and a circular society, and form local communities that lead to childcare support.