beautiful britain A snapshot of the UK’s hair and beauty industry in 2012
Industry confidence high Huge opportunities in male grooming What’s hot and what’s not in your region? professionals together
welcome
Welcome to the beautifulbritain report 2012, the first survey to be based on you – the people working inside the hair and beauty industry. Firstly can I say a massive ‘thank you’ to all those who contributed to this report. We were staggered that 1,591 of you took the time to complete our survey and help paint such a comprehensive picture of hair and beauty in the UK today. We work in an innovative, dynamic and fast paced profession where it’s critical to respond to customers’ needs, matching creativity with a level of business ingenuity that would put other industries to shame.
That’s why we decided to publish beautifulbritain – a report that I hope provides some valuable insights into these issues as well as stimulating new thinking about the opportunities for further success. I am constantly inspired by the passion and enthusiasm shown by everyone who works in our industry. beautifulbritain confirms in my mind that this desire is very much alive in 2012. Salon Services is here to support you all as you continue to build successful businesses and we look forward to working with you in the year ahead.
But it’s good to take a fresh look at the customer trends that are driving these decisions and to examine the ways that we, as a profession, are responding.
Richard Hull Managing Director Salon Services UK & Ireland
Methodology: beautifulbritain findings based on an online survey of 1,591 Salon Services customers in Q1 2012.
£6.2bn
total turnover of the hair and beauty industry (Habia, 2011)
245,795
people employed in the hair and beauty industry (Habia, 2011)
beautifulbritain : a snapshot of the UK’s hair and beauty industry in 2012
a confident and optimistic profession The hair and beauty industry employs nearly a quarter of a million people across the UK and is worth billions to our economy. As the economic uncertainty continues, it is encouraging to see how positive the industry remains, with over a net quarter of those professionals surveyed saying that they are more optimistic than a year ago (43% more optimistic less the 17% who are less optimistic).
This report looks at the drivers behind this confidence. We found three key trends:
•
The rise and rise of male grooming
•
Female customers continue to prioritise their hair and beauty spend
•
The industry remains committed to high levels of professional training
“While our customers are cutting back on bigger things like holidays, a lot of them continue to treat themselves at the salon when they can.”
Future expectations of employee numbers 32%
Angie Baggot, Blondies Salon, Leeds
4%
It’s an industry that’s prepared to act on this confidence with a net total of 28% of you looking to hire over the next twelve months (32% who are looking to hire more staff less the 4% who are expecting to hire less).
64%
n More n Same / Not stated n Less
32%
looking to hire over next 12 months
43%
more optimistic than a year ago (only 17% less optimistic)
“We are seeing increasing amounts of people come in for more than just a haircut these days. We are looking to offer further training for our staff as well as growing our workforce so that we can expand the treatments on offer.” Sarah Langham-Potts, Avante Garde Salon, Derby
47%
Level of optimism compared to a year ago 17% 43%
40%
n More n Same n Less
looking to hire staff in the East Midlands, the highest in the UK
50%
more optimistic than a year ago in the North East
beautifulbritain : a snapshot of the UK’s hair and beauty industry in 2012
booming male grooming
66% expertview “Male grooming in the UK has been building up for some time now and there are a number of steps you can take to cater for this market. With a great selection of male grooming products available and plenty of training courses on offer there is no excuse to not take advantage of this trend.” Hayley Vaughan Male Grooming Category Manager, Salon Services
seen an increase in male customers
Many hair and beauty professionals are benefitting from the rise in male grooming with an amazing 66% of those that offer it seeing an increase in male clients. The male hairdressing market alone is estimated by some to be worth £1.2bn (Kantar Worldpanel, May 2010). While figures for non-hair grooming are difficult to come by, the survey confirms the growing popularity of treatments such as massage, hair removal and skin treatments. Despite this clear market opportunity 34% of all respondents still don’t offer treatments for men, potentially missing out on a growing revenue stream.
£18.60
average cost of a male haircut in UK
74%
Mr. Opportunity: the rise of the male market
50%
64%
68%
62%
While haircuts are the most popular male treatment, massage and hair removal are becoming increasingly popular. Most popular male treatments
1 Haircut 2 Massage 3 Hair removal 4 Hair colour / treatment 5 Skin treatment 6 Nail treatment 7 Tanning 8 Shaving 9 Slimming
£25.10/£15.70
most expensive male haircut (London) / cheapest (Yorkshire)
A healthy increase in male customers across the UK but still many professionals not tapping into the opportunity. Some regional trends emerged highlighting the tribal nature of the male market. The male market changes from location to location and salons should respond to their individual market need.
52%
60%
72%
68%
Nationally
66% 34%
64%
68%
64%
% increase seen in male customers % of professions not offering male treatments
Scottish pride
n net % increase in male customers (of those respondents that offer male treatments)
Scotland sees greatest rise in male customers, with 74% noting an increase
Rough with the smooth The highest demand for male hair removal treatments is in Wales while the lowest is in the South West
beautifulbritain : a snapshot of the UK’s hair and beauty industry in 2012
hair treatments dominate – but beauty cross-sell opportunities exist
Change in frequency of treatments in last 12 months n More n Same n Less
19%
18%
24%
Hair colour
Haircut
Female customers continue to focus on looking after their hair with cuts, colour and styling topping the three most popular treatments in the UK.
expertview “While UK women still place a lot of importance on maintaining their hair, opportunities to cross sell and up sell can’t be ignored. For example, by offering other beauty treatments or selling products such as nail polish, you get your customers back through your doors more frequently.”
1 Haircut 2 Hair colour 3 Hair styling 4 Manicure 5 Hair removal 6 Pedicure 7 Eyebrows 8 Tanning 9 Facial 10 Make-up 11 Nails
And women don’t appear to be waiting longer between treatments with frequency of visits remaining broadly the same. Professionals report further demand for manicures, hair removal and pedicures, but these still lag behind hair.
Alan Revitt Commercial Director, Salon Services, UK & Ireland
Average number of weeks between treatments 5.8
Certain beauty treatments such as facials and manicures experienced lower demand when compared to haircuts and colour. This demonstrates the benefit of a balanced ‘basket’ of treatments. Manicure treatments appear at first sight to be declining in popularity however we think the category is evolving into nail beauty treatments. This is experiencing huge growth in popularity – for example the demand for gel nail polish which can only be applied by professionals.
“We expected to see a drop off in customer visits as people felt the effects of the tough economic conditions. Thankfully this didn’t happen and business has been steady, although we have found customers are more selective about their beauty treatments.” Paula Young, Definitions Hair Studio, Chelmsford, Essex
10.4 10.4 10.4
5.8
5.8
6.5
6.5
Haircut
6.6
Hair colour
5.2
the average number of weeks between a woman’s haircut
Perm
63% 34%
7%
58% 34%
Perm
5.5
Facial
4.9
3.7
3.8
3.5
Tanning
3.7
4.6
4.6
4.6
Hair removal
5.2
5.6
4.9
Manicure
the average number of weeks between woman’s tanning treatment
3.9
4.1
59% 28%
30%
50% 17%
19%
Hair removal
Tanning
42% 32%
15%
64% 23%
21%
Pedicure
53%
3.7
16%
Facial
Manicure
n Total n Salon n Mobile
5.8
It’s encouraging that female customers have maintained their hair and beauty regimes with over half reporting consistent levels of frequency of visits across most treatments.
Most popular female treatments
18%
56%
Pedicure
£24.90
the average price for a cut and blow dry in the UK
£19.00
the average price for a woman’s manicure in the UK
beautifulbritain : a snapshot of the UK’s hair and beauty industry in 2012
beautifulbritain female trends by region
Scotland One of the cheapest regions to get a manicure, costing only £16.80 (compared to national average of £19)
£24.10 / £18.20
North West
North East Cheapest place to get your feet done with pedicures costing £17.30, compared to a national average of £20.70
£21.60 / £16.90
Shortest time between hair colouring in the UK, every 6 weeks
Our industry often doesn’t get the credit it deserves, particularly when it comes to qualifications or training.
Yorkshire
£23 / £16.30
Manicures most popular compared to rest of UK, with 32% saying it is one of the most sought after treatments
N Ireland Tanning more popular in this region than most, with 21% of professionals saying it’s one of the favorites
professionals together Our survey demonstrated that this is something professionals in the UK take very seriously. In fact an impressive 88% of respondents possess a professional qualification in hair and/or beauty.
£23.40 / £17.80
£20.70 / £16.90
In addition approximately 40% of those surveyed have completed either a hair or beauty training course related to their role and 17% have done both. Hair and beauty professionals in the UK have some of the highest standards and best training in the world and you told us this commitment is unwavering.
East Midlands Most popular region for pedicures (and most expensive at £22.90)
West Midlands
£22.90 / £20.10
43% said hair colouring was one of the most popular treatments
Our survey paints a positive picture of the hair and beauty industry.
£23.30 / £19.80 East Wales Cheapest female cut and blow dry in the UK at £20.10
£20.10 / £17.60
South West Customers leave 7.2 weeks between professional hair colouring (compared to national average of 6.5)
£24.70 / £20.50
one final word
South East Customers in the South East are paying similar amounts for hair colouring as in the capital (£45.00 vs £46.60)
£28 / £19.80
Shortest time between facials in the UK, every 4.4 weeks
London Facials higher on Londoners’ treatment lists compared to other regions, with 16% saying it’s one of the most popular treaments
£30.80 / £21.20
£24.30 / £20.20
Price insight £ cost of cut and blow dry £ cost of tanning treatment
17%
of professionals have completed both hair and beauty training courses
But while there are clear opportunities for the industry, such as the growth of the male market, none of us can afford to be complacent. Increasing accessibility to the internet and use of technology such as smartphones means trends and styles are changing quicker than ever.
25%
Hair and beauty professionals must adapt to changes in demand while also taking into account current economic pressures faced by everyone around the country. Not an easy task by any means, but if any industry has shown it can inspire and delight its customers while at the same time respond (and create) new trends, it’s this one. We hope this report provided a useful snapshot of the trends in the sector and that it helps to inspire you to improve and grow your business in the future.
of professionals in West Midlands have completed both hair and beauty training courses, the highest in the UK
88%
of respondents possess hair and beauty qualifications
beautifulbritain : a snapshot of the UK’s hair and beauty industry in 2012
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