Nick Bancroft has been immersed in the dry cleaning industry for as long as he can remember. Growing up in the family business meant
spending school holidays and weekends working alongside his father, Roger Bancroft, and grandfather, Joe Bancroft. Founded in 1913,
Bancrofts Dry Cleaning is one of Australia’s oldest dry cleaning businesses, and Nick represents the fourth generation of the Bancroft
family to lead it over 113 years!
Nick formally joined the business at 17 while studying a Bachelor of Science at La Trobe University. He went on to complete the Certificate of Dry Cleaning Technology (1994), Dyeing for Dry Cleaners (1996), and was awarded the IDC Campbell Redenbach Scholarship in 1996. In 1997 he completed Dry Cleaning Maintenance, Safe Handling of Perchloroethylene, and a Business Planning program through Bentleys.
In 1997, Nick was appointed Managing Director of Bancrofts Dry Cleaning. The following year he completed an Advanced Spotting Course, and soon after faced one of the greatest challenges of his career: a catastrophic fire that destroyed the business. Together with his father, he rebuilt Bancrofts from the ground up — an experience that continues to shape his leadership and industry perspective.
In 1999–2000, Nick was awarded the Miller Systems DIA National Dry Cleaner of the Year, which included a study tour of Europe and a presentation of his findings at the subsequent IDC Convention in Yokohama, Japan.
Nick has held numerous leadership roles within the Drycleaning Institute of Australia (DIA), including serving as DIA Victoria President from 2014 to 2018. He has been a national board member since 2018 and currently serves as National Treasurer.
He has presented at multiple conventions and DIA training events on topics such as profitability in dry cleaning, niche market strategy, and navigating business recovery after total loss. Nick has appeared on several radio and national TV programs, representing both the industry and his own business.
Nick has been married to Elana since 1994 and is the proud father of two sons, Justin (28) and Adam (25). Whether a fifth generation will one day take the helm at Bancrofts remains to be seen. Nick is a mad Collingwood supporter!
