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Salon confidence high as Yorkshire men scrub up

The hair and beauty industry in Yorkshire is defying the economic malaise as nearly three quarters (73%) of salon managers in the region feel more optimistic now than they did last year - well above the national average of 58% - according to a new survey of over 2,600 industry professionals released this week.

The second annual Beautiful Britain report from Salon Services, the UK and Ireland’s largest professional hair and beauty supplier, found that the industry has been buoyed, in part, by an increasing number of Yorkshire men splashing out on waxes, tanning, facials and nail treatments.

Despite these higher than average levels of optimism for the year ahead, the report found that salons in the region are exercising caution when it comes to hiring. Only 13% of respondent in Yorkshire said that they plan to hire in 2013, the lowest level in the UK after Northern Ireland (12%) and well below the national average (22%).

Commenting on the results, Alan Revitt, commercial and marketing director, Salon Services, UK & Ireland, said: “After a challenging year for the industry, it’s encouraging to see such high levels of optimism in Yorkshire. The ‘lipstick effect’ is beginning to wane across the country, so it’s unsurprising that local salons are being cautious about hiring. That said, the growth of male grooming in the region presents a big opportunity for the year ahead.”

53% of salons in Yorkshire have seen an increase in the number of male customers over the last year, with hair cuts (47%), massages (36%) and hair removal (28%) emerging as the most popular male treatments.

And more salons are spotting the value in this market; whilst 37% still don’t offer male grooming treatments, almost a quarter (24%) of these plan to expand into this market in 2013.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .