NHF & NBF reveals number of beauty salons continues to boom
By Sophie Nutt | 23 October 2018 | Movers & Shakers, News
Recent figures have shown that, for the first time, the number of salon offering only hairdressing has started to decline, especially over the last year. Over the same period, however, the number of beauty salons, nail salons and hair and beauty salons has risen.
Beauty is expected to be the fastest growing sector over the next five years. As well as an increase in salons providing beauty treatments, beauty retail is also expected to grow with supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s announcing ambitious plans to expand their beauty retail offering.
“Within our own membership of 5,000+ hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons, we’ve seen the number of salons offering both hair and beauty rise steadily,” says NHF, NBF chief executive Hilary Hall on the BBC Radio 4 You and Yours programme.
“A few years ago, around a third of our members offered hair and beauty whereas today it’s 44%, almost half of our membership. That’s why we set up the new National Beauty Federation to provide a one-stop shop for business support for all salon, whether they offer just hair, just beauty, or both hair and beauty.
“It makes sense for hair salons to diversify and provide ‘added value’ to services to time-poor clients who would pay extra for a manicure or a facial or having their eyebrows shaped when they’re already in the salon anyway for a hair colour. It’s all about understanding your market and what clients want and would be willing to pay for.
“However, growing competition and a saturated market means that salons and barbershops are not only competing against each other for clients, but they are also competing for experienced and qualified staff, with salons up and down the country reporting recruitment difficulties. Added challenges such as rising employment costs and business rates are making it hard for them all to survive in the tough conditions they face on today’s high street.”