As the economy continues to improve, a growing number of high street properties are occupied by hairdressers, nail salons and tanning parlours – demonstrating a renewed willingness on the part of consumers to spend on luxuries and pampering treats.
However, new research conducted by Salon Services UK and Ireland has indicated that men, rather than women, are the cause of this boom in business for salons. According to data submitted by around 2,200 UK salons, one fifth of their clientele are now men seeking services such as facials and manicures as well as haircuts, rendering the traditional barbers somewhat obsolete in certain parts of the UK.
Commercial and marketing director of Salon Services UK and Ireland, Alan Revitt, says; “We’ve seen steady growth in recent years of men coming into salons for beauty as well as hair treatments, so the businesses that have branched into this market will be in a particularly strong position to grow in 2014.”
The survey found that the country is divided when it comes to male grooming, with men in the North West particularly interested in manicures. Welsh men, meanwhile, are opting for tanning treatments, with the majority of salons seeing their regular clients paying fortnightly visits to maintain their colour.
Thanks to the increase in spending for the beauty industry, confidence amongst salon owners has soared, with 37 per cent of participating businesses in the survey intending to recruit more staff in the next 12 months. This could mean that the beauty sector could add more than 21,000 jobs to the UK’s labour market this year, significantly contributing to falling unemployment levels.
In addition, two thirds of salons are now more confident about their finances than at this time last year. For the most part, this is due to the drop in inflation which has allowed them to buy in items for a better price and therefore pass this saving on to their customers, increasing footfall and encouraging frequent repeat custom.
For example, hair colouring treatments for women have dropped by an average of £7 this year, while male haircuts have fallen in price from £16 to £12. Yet rather than having an adverse effect upon total sales, it has seen the annual beauty treatment spend by women increase by £73 to £1,033 per annum.
With the high street still suffering from high vacancy rates, a higher number of salons in town centres could go a long way in reducing the problem. And by hiring more staff and encouraging repeat visits, salons could stand to be hugely successful this year – with both male and female customers flooding through the doors.
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