4th May 2026
It has been a while since I posted anything in relation to salons and retail, that doesn’t mean I have given up standing on my soapbox fighting the fight for professional hairdressers up and down the country. So let’s talk retail and where we are at right now.
The big boys continue to supply mass market channels with outrageously fabulous merchandise and products that are heavily discounted, both these are never given to salons, salons that have been stocking some of these brands for decades. New innovation streams that used to be sent to salons to see if they were going to add value to the portfolio of professional (and non professional branded) products doesn’t seem to happen anymore, maybe that’s due to the fact that the professional brands are now mainstream and so they get launched in mass market channels at the same time as they are introduced into salons, therefore the need to have hairdressers opinions about new lines is no longer needed.
Thank goodness we have brands that are fully committed to supplying salons with SALON PROFESSIONAL products. These companies deserve applause and they also deserve salon owners having a look at them and making a decision to switch to brands that clients can’t get everywhere at greatly reduced prices.
I was recently asked “Is retail a serious proposition in salons now?” …. it’s a question I have been asked in many different forms over the years and my answer is always an emphatic YES!
Why do I say yes? Well it’s simple really, clients still have to take care of their hair at home, and recommending the very best products for maintenance can only be given by hairdressers who know their clients hair. Of course you can google (other search engines are available) and get some answers that might help, but getting true EXPERT ADVICE only happens in salons. But if the advice is given and then the client searches the products online and finds them in mass market channels with special offers, that’s going to sway their decision making process and they will either buy online or visit the [mass market channel] and purchase from there. But if the products are not readily available and have a point of difference from everywhere else then that makes the stylists job much easier. Of course if the salon has an e-commerce platform as well, that makes the recommendations even easier, especially if the platform has loyalty points attached to it.
Will salon retail get you a top of the range BMW?, probably not, but what it well get you is a more loyal client base who recognise and accept that part of their salon visit is the recommendation of the very best home-care for their hair and scalp.
Will salon retail make your business money? Well in the current climate where every penny counts, the answer is absolutely YES, even after cost of goods and commission is taken into account there is always something left over that can help top up the bottom line, and whilst it may not get you that BMW, it will help toward other salon focussed elements; training etc.
But ultimately, retail should be there to complete the service and to safeguard the creative work stylists have delivered, helping protect, nourish and care for their work. Anything over and above that has to be seen as a bonus.
As always I am more than happy to recommend brands that offer that unique point of difference, products that truly are SALON PROFESSIONAL.
#ProForPro #SalonPro #SalonRetail
