DAY TWO: MAINSTAGE (part 2) #salonsmart17
Continuing on the theme of ‘change’ at Salon Smart 2017, Monica Teodoro – general manager of L’Oréal Professionnel – provided some fascinating market insights into changing consumer behaviours thanks to social media. “There are 34bn selfies a year, making clients more aware and more discerning than ever before,” she said.
With women visiting salons less, it’s clear something needs to change. The decline in frequency is mainly down to a fall in the 45+ age group of women and Monica argued that these should be your most valuable clients. It’s then about understanding their needs. “Clients don’t come to you for a good haircut – that should be as standard – they come to you for everything else. It’s the experience,” said Monica.
Celebrating three decades in business, hairdressing legend Charles Worthington MBE was undoubtedly a major coup for Salon Smart 2017 – and his interview with Creative HEAD publisher, Catherine Handcock, went down a storm with guests! Genuinely one of the nicest people in the industry, Charles shared his story of how he turned his back on his previous dream career – he wanted to be an architect but hated the maths! – to be a hairdresser, having fallen in love with the passion he saw in his friends in the business (oh, and he used to be Tim Hartley’s model at Vidal Sassoon in Leeds!). Read the full interview
Commercial director Tim Binnington, brand strategist Laura Hinton and artistic ambassadors Jonathan Soons and Gareth Williams, provided a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the 50-strong salon group as it celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. Stating that everything comes back to the brand’s motto ‘Beautiful, fashionable, confidence-boosting hair’, Tim began by saying that the past two years have seen the group focused on boosting its colour clients, and they are now at 39 per cent (from 33 per cent two years ago).
Gareth Williams, Jonathan Soons and Laura Hinton
The group also focuses its attention on digital, creating collections specifically for social media. “Our aesthetic is attainable fashion,” said Jonathan. “We’ve recently done a collection on sports luxe as that’s what we see happening on social media.” Laura was also quick to point out that social media is the greatest leveller. “No matter whether your salon is big or small, everyone can use social media to their advantage,” she said.
Ky Wilson and Laura Chalkley
Closing Salon Smart 2017: our live debate on the pros and cons of chair rental – always a contentious topic and one we wanted to give dedicated airtime to.
Alice Kirby
While on the surface rent-a-chair looks like a no brainer (it saves struggling salon owners money), our panel was divided on whether or not it was a good thing for the industry with a lack of clarity a clear issue when it comes to the dos and don’ts of chair renting.
Here’s what they had to say on the subject”
Steve Rowbottom, Westrow: “I think most people turn to chair renting for money and it could lead to the demise of our industry.”
Toby Dicker, The Chapel: “I feel 90 per cent of chair renters are doing it illegally. This is because the law is unclear. I’m not against it, but all we have are guidelines and no one is completely sure on how to do it properly and this is what we need to campaign on.”
Ken West, 3•6•5 Education: “A lot of salons in the US do chair renting but not the bigger ones as it doesn’t work, unless they’re a session stylist. I don’t think the UK will go the way of the US, but it does need more regulation.”
Laura Chalkley, The NHF’s Legal Helpline : “The Uber example has shone a light on all this. It’s about mutuality of obligation. And there needs to be a clear distinction between a chair renter and an employed worker in the same salon if you’re going to have a mix.”
Alice Kirby, Lockhart Meyer Salon Marketing: “Self employment is a loss of control; image, you’ve come in to your salon to find a stylist you don’t know, inappropriately dressed, working in your business. The chair renter is away on holiday, and they are entitled to put a locum in… and you can’t do anything about it. Your business is in somebody else’s hands.”