SalonFocus March-April 2013

THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR SALON OWNERS

Rate relief reform ruined by council foot-dragging Members warned to watch out for phone scam

MARCH/APRIL 2013 | £3.50

New ‘Diamond Awards’ set to sparkle this autumn Apprentices’ national minimum wage: the next battleground?

PAGE 2 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

WAVELENGTH

Firm leadership can overcome

foot-dragging on rate relief I probably shouldn’t admit this but, as a freelance journalist, SalonFocus isn’t the only publication I work for (although it is by far my favourite). One of my other “hats” is at quite the other end of the business spectrum, working for a magazine that goes out to local authorities called Local Government Chronicle. In a way it is a refreshing juxtaposition, meaning I can be writing about the concerns of nimble micro salon owners one day and lumbering, complex local authorities the next.

It also means I can see both sides of the story we report on page five about how local government bureaucracy and foot-dragging (at least in England) is failing salons when it comes to implementing legislation that should allow for the automatic granting of rate relief.

On the one hand, this move to automation is something the NHF has long campaigned for. It has made the point, quite rightly, that requiring salons proactively to apply for this relief, and often through a soulsapping, time-consuming process, can mean many potentially lose out.

The government’s motivation for including this reform in the Localism Act, therefore, should be applauded.

But it is possible to see things from the side of local government, too. Here, after all, is a sector under intense pressure to implement unprecedented efficiency savings and, in many areas, change completely how it operates and functions within society. Local councils also remain keenly aware of their responsibilities to their communities, particularly as the holders of huge public purse strings. Councils need to be absolutely sure a business is what it says it is, that its circumstances have not changed and it is, indeed, eligible to be subsidised in this way.

When you put it like that it becomes easier to see why many councils,

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under pressure and distracted by other priorities, might feel reluctant to let go of the “comfort blanket” of a rigorous application process.

This is a complicated issue but, to my mind at least, it is one crying out for central government to take a much more proactive lead on. If the government felt it was important

‘If the government felt it was important for the health of the high street to pass a law on automating small business rate relief and if, a year on, it is evidently not working, then surely it is up to government to be working with local authorities – clarifying, guiding, cajoling if necessary – to make it work?’ for the health of the high street to pass a law on this and if, a year on from implementation, it is evidently not working, then surely it is up to government to be working with local authorities – clarifying, guiding, cajoling if necessary – to make it work? We can only hope that what we have highlighted is simply evidence of teething problems and, over time, local authorities will put in place the appropriate systems required to make small business rate relief an automatic benefit rather than a bureaucratic chore.

Finally, I am sure you will all join me in welcoming Hilary Hall to the NHF from next month as its new secretary general (News, page five). The secretary generalship is, as we know, a pivotal role in terms of driving the Federation forward.

Hilary’s background and experience in vocational and management training at the Institute of Leadership and Management is, I am sure, going to be a real bonus for the Federation in its ambitions to reform and improve training and apprenticeships within the industry. I very much look forward to working with her.

One way those ambitions will be articulated is through the NHF’s manifesto on apprenticeships which, as we report on page nine, got the green light from NEC in January.

As I said back in November when SalonFocus first revealed existence of the manifesto, a piece of paper does not in itself change anything and, as education committee chairman John Armstrong has also recognised, there is a lot of work to do from here. But it is a start – and potentially a significant one at that.

Yet, as we also highlight (News, page eight), reforming the delivery and content of apprenticeship training may not be the only battle needing to be fought. Reforming the apprentices’ national minimum wage (NMW) so that it, too, is “fit for purpose” is beginning to look like an even tougher circle to square. On the one hand salons, as highlighted very loudly by members in our post-Richard Review survey last summer and consistently by the NHF itself in its evidence to the Low Pay Commission, are being deterred from taking on older apprentices because of the way the NMW switches at age 19 from the lower apprentices’ rate to higher age-related bands, irrespective of whether an apprentice has qualified or not. On the other hand, with the introduction of “learning loans” this summer for older apprentices, the prospect of being stuck on a lower apprentice NMW right the way through to qualification could, equally, be a serious disincentive to making the significant commitment required to train as a hairdresser. There may need to be a lot of hard talking ahead.

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 3

CONTENTS OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Sean Greentree is marketing manager at digital communications specialist netXtra, designer of the NHF’s new-look website.

News 05 06 08 09 10 11 12

Automatic rate relief falling foul of red tape Salons warned on phone order scam ‘Learning loans’ could accelerate NMW reform Apprentices’ manifesto given green light Regis overtakes M&S in some shopping centres MP’s safety call on straighteners Single music licence inches forward

Basil Long is the senior legal adviser at Croner, operator of the Federation’s Legal Lifeline.

Desmond Murray is an award-winning photographer and hairdresser.

In 2009 he was inducted into the British Hairdressing Awards’ Hall of Fame and won the Men’s Hairdresser of the Year category.

In 2010 he won the Association Internationale Presse Professionnelle Coiffure’s Best Photographic Collection of Year.

Mark Selby is corporate finance director at accountancy and business advisory firm Baldwins. He specialises in advising small business owners and managers on buying and selling their businesses, raising finance and conducting buy-outs.

Inspired 16-19

20 22

26 28

The coming of the new – the latest collection from Toni&Guy

03

Are you a threat to your business? – the owner paradox One in a million – how to get noticed online

06 11 12 14 29-31 32 33 34

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EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Andrew Don e: sfeditor@salonfocus.co.uk EVENTS Melanie Collins t: 01234 834385 e: melanie.collins@nhf.info AD SALES Mainline Media Ltd The Barn, Oakley Hay Lodge Business Park, Great Oakley, Northants NN18 9AS t: +44 (0) 1536 747333 f: +44 (0) 1536 746565 w: www.mainlinemedia.co.uk Advertising Sales Manager Tricia McDougall e: tricia.mcdougall@mainlinemedia. co.uk

While every care is taken in compiling this issue of SalonFocus including manuscripts and photographs submitted, we accept no responsibility for any losses or damage, whatever the cause. All information and prices contained in advertisements are accepted by the publishers in good faith as being correct at the time of going to press. Neither the advertisers nor the publishers accept any responsibility for any variations affecting price variations or availability after the publication has gone to press. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the publisher, to whom application must first be made. The views expressed by contributors to SalonFocus are not necessarily those of the NHF, the publisher or its editor. © 2011 The National Hairdressers’ Federation.

Chair care – get serious about backwash comfort Taking account of business – figuring out your accountant Tried and Tested – our panel testing page

Wavelength – Firm leadership can overcome foot-dragging on rate relief HairClips – summer deadline for settlement agreements Movers and Groovers – John Frieda’s latest charity ride Beauty spots – warning over Botox guidelines Column – Desmond Murray’s tips for a compelling photo-shoot Federation Focus – NHF’s sparkling new Diamond Awards Case confidential – a helpline call resolved Events – key dates for your diary @nhfederation – all the online gossip and tweets

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NEWS

Automatic rate relief for salons falling foul of council red tape Exclusive by Andrew Don

Small salons are being let down by English councils that are failing to implement a landmark law which should – in principle – allow them to receive business rate relief automatically.

The Localism Act 2011 came into force in April last year and removed the necessity for small businesses entitled to rate relief – in other words those with a rateable value of up to £12,000 – to submit a formal application form, something the NHF has long campaigned for.

However, an investigation by SalonFocus has discovered local authorities in England appear to be dragging their feet over implementing automation and in many cases are still requiring small businesses to jump through various red-tape hoops to gain the relief, despite the benefit it can bring to small high street businesses.

The Local Government Association told SalonFocus it was possible some councils with more sophisticated systems or better intelligence may have made the transition, but conceded authorities in England were lagging behind those in Wales, where the approval system is simpler.

Local authorities, in turn, are arguing moving to an automated approval system is much more complicated than simply pressing a button.

Collette Drackett, revenue officer at

Stroud District Council, explained that asking for applications was still the only way it could determine a business had not collapsed in the interim or did not have a property in another jurisdiction that might take it above the eligibility threshold.

When SalonFocus put it to the Department for Communities and Local Government that councils in England were not complying with the spirit of the legislation, a spokeswoman washed its hands of the issue, reiterating that the government had made it easier for ratepayers to claim the small business rate relief to which they were entitled.

“Through the Localism Act, we have removed the legal requirement for ratepayers to submit an application form to claim small business rate relief,” she said.

Councils did need to satisfy themselves that ratepayers occupied only one business property, she agreed, but added, “it’s for the council to decide how best to do that”.

James Thompson, director in the ratings team at accountancy firm Drivers Jonas Deloitte, agreed the Welsh scheme was much simpler than the “very complicated” one in England where, he accepted, “a lot of people” would not be getting relief “because they won’t have asked for it”.

HIGH STREET WOES: RATE RELIEF COULD HELP

A Welsh Government spokeswoman added: “In Wales the small business rate relief is applied automatically, as the systems in local government would be written to do this.”

But at least the situation in both countries is better than that north of the border where no provision had even been set out yet in law for automatic rate relief.

More widely, business rates across Britain are scheduled to go up next month by 2.6 per cent, meaning businesses ineligible for relief will take a further financial hit or have to pass on the rise to consumers at what is already a deeply difficult time on the high street.

The British Retail Consortium predicted as many as 42 per cent of retailers may have to reduce staff or working hours as a result, while 83 per cent said they were worried another rise could make their business less viable.

To cap matters, the government recently announced it was delaying its planned revaluation of business rates in England by two years, from 2015 to 2017.

The move means businesses will continue to pay rates based on property values as they were in April 2008, in other words at the height of the property boom.

NHF appoints new secretary general The NHF has appointed a senior manager from one of the UK’s leading workplace and vocational training bodies to be its new secretary general.

Hilary Hall, currently director of customer service and operations at the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), will take up her new role at the Federation from April 15.

The ILM has a 40,000-strong membership, is the UK’s largest qualifications’ awarding body for leadership and management development programmes and is very

www.nhf.info

much focused on workplace-based, and workplace-specific, training.

Her appointment is a clear signal of the importance the NHF is now attaching to improving the quality and delivery of training within the hairdressing industry, one of its key strands of current activity.

Prior to joining ILM in 2004 Hilary was a director at Lantra Awards, a qualifications and training body for people working in land-based industries such as agriculture and conservation.

NHF president Mark Coray said: “We are all very excited about the experience and knowledge Hilary will bring, and the contribution she will be able to make.

We very much welcome her to the NHF.” Hilary herself told SalonFocus: “I am really looking forward to joining the Federation and working with an industry that is so vibrant, as well as such a key contributor to the high street and the wider economy.”

HILARY HALL

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 5

NEWS

Salons warned to be on for phone order scam

NHF members are being warned to be on the alert for a common phone con, known as a “cardholder not present” scam, which appears to be targeting the salon sector with increasing frequency.

CARD TRANSACTIONS: INSIST ON CHIP-AND-PIN

guard

Sometimes the transaction may be curiously precise, such as for more than £50 or £100 but less than £1,000. “The most recent case we saw was a purchase of three identical pairs of ghds – the ‘back story’ was the woman had two daughters,” pointed out Basil.

Salons can protect themselves in a number of ways, he advised: • have a hard-and-fast policy that you only accept credit or debit card payments through a chip-and-PIN machine; • offer to reserve items bought over the phone and accept payment by cash or chipand-PIN when they collect; • do not accept substantial transactions over the phone, only in person; • do not allow swiping-and-signing in-salon.

Even if you take down address details you will still leave your salon exposed to the risk of a chargeback.

• If you operate mail order or internet sales, contact your merchant service provider about additional verification procedures.

However salons also need to be aware that, in some exceptional cases, such as disability, some clients may need to be issued with chipand-signature cards rather than simply chipand-PIN. “These cards are usually clearly identified as such; if not your terminal will inform you that a signature rather than a PIN is required.

If you accept credit and debit card payments from other customers, you must accept chipand-signature cards as well, as otherwise you would be discriminating against people with a disability,” said Basil.

“If you are in any doubt or believe that a transaction may be suspicious, contact your terminal provider for details of their anti-fraud policy,” Basil added.

Croner, operator of the Federation’s Legal Lifeline, calculates it normally receives three to four calls on this issue a year. But head office has reported receiving a number of calls for help from members either side of Christmas, suggesting a possible increase in activity against salons.

The scam is remarkably simple and works in the following way. A customer calls up and orders a quantity of product or equipment.

They pay by card over the phone, giving a card number and expiry date. However, once they have received the goods they then contact their card provider and query the transaction. The provider then reverses the transaction, leaving the salon owner without either their goods or their money.

Basil Long, senior legal adviser at Croner, said the scam tended to be most effective for relatively small transactions of less than £1,000 because these will often be reversed with little Things to watch for: or no investigation by banks where a chipand-PIN machine has not been used.

• an unusual transaction; “As the transaction is undertaken over the • customers appearing unnaturally hurried to phone and the cardholder is not present, the complete the purchase; salon owner is exposed to the risk,” • unfamiliar customers making a purchase he explained. without having had any styling; “This is the case even if the salon owner • purchases made over the phone or by email; takes address details. The salon owner will • the customer saying someone else will be only be protected where a proper chip-andcoming to pick up the items, or asking for PIN procedure is followed. them to be posted out; “On occasions the scam has been • a suspicious story as to why they cannot undertaken by people attending the salon to come in and buy them themselves, or a buy the items there and then and, apparently reason why they cannot use a chip-and-PIN if being unable to remember their PIN, they are they are in the salon. asked to sign the receipt instead,” he added.

PAGE 6 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

HAIRCLIPS DISMISSALS PROGRESS

The government has said it intends to bring forward legislation by this summer on its plan to introduce “settlement agreements”.

Such agreements would enable employers to encourage employees to leave in return for an agreed pay-off.

GLASS CEILING

Hairdressing is setting an example to other industries when it comes to smashing the so-called “glass ceiling” preventing women from progressing into senior management. An analysis by credit rating agency Experian has argued that hairdressing is one of three sectors with the biggest percentage of all-women boards, although this has stayed largely unchanged since 2007.

ASTHMA RISK

Hairdressers could be at heightened risk of suffering from asthma because of their potential for exposure to chemicals, according to two medical studies.

Research in the journal The Annals of Occupational Hygiene argued hairdressing was among a number of occupations potentially at higher risk. And a UK study in the January edition of the journal Thorax included hairdressing within a list of 18 occupations associated with adult asthma.

The Health and Safety Executive has for some years now highlighted the potential for risk if good working practices and effective exposure control methods are not applied.

BRAND BECKHAM

With his Mohawk, ponytail and cornrows, among others, David Beckham is still the ultimate hair inspiration for British men, a poll by hair brand Fudge has argued. Other influential style-setters included Sir Bradley Wiggins, Gary Barlow and Harry Styles of boy-band One Direction.

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NEWS

Hopes ‘learning loans’ could raise stakes for reform of NMW The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has alerted the Low Pay Commission (LPC) to growing concerns within the industry of the damage the apprentices’ national minimum wage (NMW) is having on the recruitment of older trainees, a tension that, it is feared, will only get worse with the introduction of a new funding regime for mature apprentices from this summer.

From August, the BIS is introducing so-called 24+ Advanced Learning Loans for learners aged 24 or over studying at Level 3 and above, including advanced and higher apprenticeships.

Many within the industry believe the loans, for which applications can be made from this April, will further highlight the artificial barrier the apprentices’ NMW has created within the industry, deterring salon owners from taking on older apprentices and, at the same time, preventing older apprentices from getting a foot in the door.

The structure of the apprentices’ NMW has long been a bugbear for many salon owners, and was one of the main complaints raised by members when the NHF carried out a survey in response to last summer’s Richard Review (SalonFocus, November/December 2012).

The apprentices’ NMW (currently £2.65 an hour) is only for those aged under 19 or in their first year of training, after which the wage reverts to the one appropriate to their age, in other words either £4.98 for those aged 18-20 or £6.19 for 20 and above.

This, combined with the gradual erosion of the pay differential between a qualified junior and an older apprentice, means it increasingly does not stack up financially for a salon to invest in an older apprentice.

24+ Advanced Learning Loans will work in a similar way to university student loans, with trainees taking a loan from the government to cover 100 per cent of their tuition fees, which is then paid back when their salary reaches a certain level. The loans will replace the existing system of grants paid directly to the training provider.

Industry sector-skills body Habia told SalonFocus it believed the loans could, on the one hand, persuade mature apprentices who, for whatever reason, had not pursued their training beyond Level 2, to return to hairdressing.

But this could create a supply and demand issue if employers are reluctant to take on such mature learners because of having to pay them the full NMW wage after 12 months if not qualified.

On the other hand, if the apprentice NMW was reformed so that it ran for longer, more mature learners faced with repaying a learning loan might baulk at the idea of being on £2.65 an hour for a longer period.

“If older learners are on the apprenticeship rate as it stands then it will likely affect take-up of the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan for all but the most committed,” said Habia spokesman Mark Phillips.

However, the BIS has indicated this BILL SHAW: DEBATE is something the LPC, which sets the rate of the NMW, might be willing to look at. It has already been raised repeatedly with the LPC by the NHF itself. “The issue you have raised is one of the areas considered by the LPC in its remit and your email is being sent on to the LPC,” a BIS spokesman said.

Bill Shaw MBE, chairman of Yorkshirebased training provider Dimensions Training Solutions, agreed that if more older stylists came on to the market as a result of the new loans, the structure of the NMW would become an increasingly pressing issue for debate.

“I see the introduction of Advanced Learning Loans and the NMW debate as two separate issues, but they will inevitably impact on each other,” he said.

More widely, there also needed to be debate around how the industry could better incorporate older learners and the incentives available to salon owners to hire such trainees.

“Employing a young apprentice doesn’t carry a large financial risk but as learners get older, then wages increase and government incentives dwindle. The stakes for a salon thinking of employing an older member of staff get higher,” he added.

Young people flocking to hairdressing apprenticeships

MARK CORAY: TRAIN FOR THE SALON FLOOR

Hairdressing apprenticeships are massively oversubscribed, with more than nine young people applying for every vacant place last year, figures from the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) have indicated.

According to the NAS, hairdressing was the tenth most popular apprenticeship during 2012, with 30,840 online

PAGE 8 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

applications for 3,360 vacancies, or an average of 9.1 applications per vacancy.

Apprenticeships in business and administration and childcare were the most sought-after overall.

David Way, NAS chief executive, argued the figures were evidence of the increasing popularity of apprenticeships as a first-choice career option.

But within the industry there has long been concern that some colleges see apprenticeships in hairdressing or beauty as something of a money spinner, with the popularity of the sector meaning courses can easily be filled,

irrespective of the quality of training or whether there are actually going to be jobs available at the other end.

The Local Government Association last year calculated that 94,000 people completed hair and beauty courses in 2011, despite there being just 18,000 new jobs in the sector.

NHF president Mark Coray said: “It serves neither salon owners nor young people if colleges are not preparing apprentices for life on the salon floor – and too often the feedback we have is that salons have to retrain people almost from scratch when they start as a junior.”

NEWS

Manifesto given green

light to accelerate reform

JOHN ARMSTRONG: STRENGTH

The NHF is due formally to unveil its landmark manifesto for apprenticeships this month, after NEC gave the go-ahead to the document in January.

The move is being seen as a clear signal of the Federation’s willingness to raise the temperature of debate for the reform of hairdressing apprenticeships in the wake of November’s Richard Review into apprenticeships.

The manifesto, The Future of Hairdressing & Barbering Apprenticeships, exclusively revealed in SalonFocus in November, was created out of a survey of members in response to that review.

It has made a number of key recommendations, including the establishment of an “expert reference group” to review apprenticeship frameworks and, ultimately, to develop a qualification that can be endorsed by the Federation.

Education committee chairman John Armstrong told SalonFocus: “Apprenticeships have got to be fit for purpose, not one-size-fits-all. Trainees entering our industry need the right knowledge and skills, they need to be fit for the salon floor.

“There is a need for an open and strong dialogue with Habia so we can, between us, adjust NVQs to make them fit for purpose as far as employers are concerned, and this manifesto will be a key part of that.

“We will be talking to Habia, awarding bodies and training providers – whoever we think is going to listen. We are looking to open a new chapter in our relations with Habia, with discussions set to be spearheaded by president Mark Coray,” he added.

The government was due to publish its response to the Richard Review early this year, a move that will be critical in

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determining what elements of it are taken forward by ministers, but had still not done so as SalonFocus went to press.

The review’s key recommendations were: • Apprenticeships should be redefined. Apprenticeships, it argued, should be clearly targeted at those who are new to a job or role that requires sustained and substantial training.

Training and accreditation of existing workers already competent should be delivered separately.

• The focus of apprenticeships should be on the outcome. The review recommended there should be “recognised industry standards” at the heart of every apprenticeship. “They should clearly set out what apprentices should know, and be able to do, at the end of their apprenticeship, at a high level which is meaningful and relevant for employers.” Such standards, it added, “should form the basis of new apprenticeship qualifications” and there should be just one apprenticeship qualification for each occupation associated with an apprenticeship.

• The government should set up a contest for the best qualification.

Individual employers, employer partnerships or other organisations should be invited to design and develop apprenticeship qualifications for their sectors, it added.

• The testing and validation process should be independent and genuinely respected by industry. This should, it said, “assess whether the individual is fully competent and employable, within their job and their sector”. Crucially, it also recommended that employers should be directly involved in assessment.

• All apprentices should have achieved Level 2 in English and Maths before they can complete their apprenticeship. Off-site learning should be mandatory, and there should be a set minimum duration for apprenticeships.

“Government should ensure that an effective, light-touch approval process exists to confirm training organisations are providing good quality training, relevant for the sector,” it added.

The full review document can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ the-richard-review-of-apprenticeships See also “From the NEC”, page 30

Extension of ‘take-on-an-apprentice’

grant

The government is extending its Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) incentive scheme for another year, to March next year.

The grant, which offers small businesses £1,500 for taking on an apprentice, had been due to finish at the end of the current financial year.

The scheme initially proved controversial in that, when it was first launched in 2011, the government said only firms that had never taken on an apprentice before would be eligible for the money, effectively ruling out the vast majority of hairdressing salons (SalonFocus, January/ February, 2012).

But late last year the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills changed its mind and extended eligibility to any small firm that had not employed an apprenticeship in the previous year.

The government in January also outlined plans for a new programme, called Traineeships, designed to help young people aged 16-24 gain relevant skills, such as GCSE English or maths or better interviewing and application techniques, to help them apply for apprenticeships.

A consultation on the idea ran until February. Depending on its outcome, the new scheme could start from this September.

In a separate development, a thinktank has called for a radical overhaul of vocational training, including the creation of a new “TechBacc” or “VocBacc” vocational qualification that students could take alongside essential core subjects.

Policy Exchange, a Conservativeleaning think-tank, also recommended employers should be formally involved in the development of vocational training curricula and new funding mechanisms should be put in place to dissuade sixth forms from retaining students who might be better off doing a vocational qualification.

More information on the AGE scheme can be found at: http://www. apprenticeships.org.uk/employers/stepsto-make-it-happen/incentive.aspx

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 9

NEWS

Regis now more prevalent than M&S in some shopping centres

REGIS: STRONG PERFORMANCE

The high street may have suffered a grim first two months of the year but new figures have suggested NHF member Regis, for one, is becoming an increasingly dominant figure within Britain’s shopping centres.

The salon giant, whose shopping centre brands includes Supercuts, has powered up a league table of the most common tenants in enclosed shopping centres, with its performance evidence of the continuing robustness of many hairdressing salon chains, despite the tough retail climate generally.

Regis is now 38th on the Going Shopping 2013 rankings drawn up by retail locations research specialist Trevor Wood Associates, having shot up from 50th place in 2004.

Its ranking now even puts it two places ahead of retailing institution Marks & Spencer.

The chain was also ranked just behind music chain HMV. The fact that chain fell into administration soon after the analysis was published and now looks likely to end up significantly reduced in size, if it survives at all, means it is likely Regis will progress even further up the rankings.

The research showed Regis now had 127 outlets in the UK’s top 500 enclosed shopping centres, although Regis itself JACKIE LANG: BUOYANT has pointed out that,

PAGE 10 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

in fact, it operates more than 200 salons within shopping centres as a whole, when all, rather than just the top 500, are taken into account.

Regis property manager Neil Dixon said this total was split between about 72 Regis salons and 141 Supercuts.

Regis has salons in more than half of the UK’s top 100 shopping centres, showing its success in clinching sites in the best centres, the research showed. It is also present in 40 per cent of the top 200 centres and 20 per cent of the top 500.

Trevor Wood, senior partner at Trevor Wood Associates, said he had noted around 30 different hairdressing businesses in one or more centres.

These included brands such as Headmasters, Toni&Guy and RUSH, even though none of these made it into the rankings of the biggest players.

Jackie Lang, Regis UK managing director, told SalonFocus the service element of the business was “buoyant” within shopping centres.

But she conceded the recession was meaning trading, inevitably, was tougher in some areas.

“Some salons in shopping centres are performing and some are not – similar situation on the high street, ” she said.

Ben Dellicompagne, managing director of Francesco Group, said its salon in Telford Shopping Centre, which is a concession within House of Fraser, had benefited from having its name alongside luxury brands such as Chanel. “Clients associate you with these global brands,” he said.

Twenty of RUSH’s 62 salons are currently located in enclosed shopping centres and chairman Andrew Phouli said the hairdressing chain was performing well on both high streets and within shopping centres.

“Our locations are prime, like Oxford Street, Moorgate and the Strand. When we pick an area we make sure there’s good footfall. Lots of retailers are going out of business but I always say you can’t get hair cut online so we are fortunate in that case,” he said Nevertheless, an increasing number of small businesses are BEN DELLICOMPAGNE: recognising that the BRAND ASSOCIATION internet will continue to have a profound effect on the high street, according to latest research.

A study by Zurich Insurance in January concluded more than half of small businesses believe the high street as we know it will have all but disappeared by 2020, being replaced by a combination of the “virtual” or online high street, new business models and different (as yet unspecified) types of high-street businesses.

Seven out of 10 also believed traditional small high street shops will need to change their customer experience “radically” if they are to compete effectively with online by 2020.

NEWS

MOVERS&GROOVERS

MP calls on salons to educate public on

straighteners A senior MP is urging hairdressers to take a lead in educating parents about the dangers hair straighteners can pose to children if left lying around or unattended.

Mary Creagh, shadow secretary for environment, food and rural affairs and a former health minister in the last Labour government, has called on hairdressers to pass on their knowledge and expertise about safe-handling of straighteners.

A campaign by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has been highlighting the dangers of such devices, which can reach temperatures of 220⁰C and take as long as 40 minutes to cool down.

The British Burn Association has also warned that parental “carelessness” with hair straighteners can often be the cause of children suffering “deep burns” that require “significant treatment”.

RoSPA’s Too Hot to Handle campaign finishes this month but Mary told SalonFocus: “Young children can easily pick up or accidentally step on a hot pair of hair straighteners, causing MARY CREAGH: CONCERN serious burns. It would be helpful if salons selling straighteners gave a simple safety message to buyers that hair straighteners should be switched off straight after use, put away and never left lying around.”

All hair straighteners pose a risk to children when their use is not monitored or they are carelessly left lying around after use. While the vast majority are sold through retail channels, increasing numbers of salons sell them too, often for gifts as well as for personal purchases.

Dr Amber Young, spokeswoman for the British Burn Association and consultant paediatric anaesthetist at Frenchay Hospital Burns Unit in Bristol, agreed salons could be a useful extra channel for education and awareness-raising.

“Any publicity we can get in hair salons the better because it will prevent children needing skin grafts,” she said.

The manufacturer ghd, which makes the iconic styler sold through many salons as well as retailers, has also agreed salons could have an important role to play. “All salons would be wise to recommend that purchasers of any product they retail follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for use,” a spokeswoman told SalonFocus.

The company emphasised safety guidance comes with all its stylers, which makes the point they are “not intended for use by children under 16 years old, persons with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge” without supervision and instruction.

The Electrical Safety Council, while pointing out there is no requirement in product standards to provide a warning against burns on the packaging, agreed there was a “the real issue” about awareness and consumer education. “People need to be aware of the dangers of burns, particularly if children are around,” a spokeswoman said.

www.nhf.info

FRIEDA RIDE

Celebrity hairdresser John Frieda is once again this year cycling around Ibiza to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. John will this year be joined by Lee Stafford and his fiancée Jessica Jane Clement as well as DJ Pete Tong. The Round the Island cycle will take place between May 3 and May 6 and aim to raise money for John’s HAIRraising appeal. More information can be found at www.gosh.org/ibiza.

in February, complete with official NVQ accreditation. The move means that, from this year, qualifications offered by the academy will be nationally recognised and the training programme extended to 15 months.

CLIPSO SUPERSTARS

NEW HABIA MD

The industry’s sector skills organisation Habia in December appointed a new managing director to take over from Alan Goldsbro, who retired last year. Rob Young is a former senior executive with internet service provider Tiscali and was an officer in the British Army.

ÉLAN AWARD

Clipso held its 2012 Young Superstars competition in December, designed to recognise talented youngsters to look out for in the years ahead. The winners were Bethany Hunt and Georgina Calvert of Clipso Watford, Sara Stockley, of Clipso St Albans and Carina Archer, from Clipso Hemel Hempstead. The overall award went to Sara Stockley.

FELLOWSHIP FAME

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing has announced its 2013 F.A.M.E team of up-and-coming hairdressing talent. William Ackerley, of Electric Hairdressing in Brighton, Joshua Goldsworthy of Goldsworthy’s, Swindon, Matthew Sutcliffe of Westrow in Leeds and Jake Unger of HOB Salons, will comprise this year’s team. They will be mentored by Bruce Masefield, UK creative director of Sassoon and managed by Bruno Marc Giamattei of Marc Antoni.

HELSINKI TEAM Élan Hair Design in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, was celebrating in November after being named Sustainable Business of the Year at the 2012 Chamber Awards, run by the British Chambers of Commerce. The award, at London’s Guildhall, was in recognition of the salon’s commitment to energy and waste efficiency.

VAN CLARKE ACADEMY

The Michael Van Clarke salon, in London’s Marylebone, launched a new-look academy

The NHF has agreed to provide partial funding to support a new group of competitors to represent Great Britain in international competitions.

The team, put together by competition motivator and trainer Stephen Coles, is due to compete in its first event in Helsinki later this month.

The team comprises Steve Clewlow, Rachel McVeigh and Matt Wilson from The Coach House in Wolverhampton and Emma Saxon and Wendy Croall from Stephen Coles Hair Design in Lytham St Annes.

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 11

NEWS

Single music licence

inches forward

Don’t hold your breath, but the day when salon owners no longer need to go through the frustrating rigmarole of buying two licences simply to play music may have moved a small step forward.

A pilot single licensing scheme being run by the two bodies that oversee public music licensing has now moved beyond its initial test phase, SalonFocus has learned.

But, while the revelation could in time pave the way for a single salon music licence, Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) and PRS for Music (PRS) have both emphasised there is still some way to go before such an innovation becomes a reality. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 requires salons to buy both a PPL and PRS licence if they want to play sound recordings in public in their salon, whether digital, CDs or music through a television or radio.

The distinction between the two is that PRS collects and distributes royalties from musical compositions (including lyrics) on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers while PPL does the same thing, but for recorded music and on behalf of record companies and performers.

For many salons, however, the necessity to buy two licences for something so similar has long been a cause of irritation. Back in 2011, PRS and PPL confirmed they were taking forward a pilot to look at the feasibility of developing a joint licence (SalonFocus, November/ December 2011). Since then a version has been tested for DJs, karaoke ROBERT ASHCROFT: bars and fitness instructors, along with a more limited licence for COMMITTED TO JOINT community buildings LICENCE The next step, PPL and PRS say, will be looking at adding small noncustomer-facing workplaces and amateur sports clubs.

Hair and beauty, however, is not on the immediate agenda, at least not for this year.

But a PRS spokesman told SalonFocus: “I’m pretty sure it will happen for hairdressing.

I think salons will be enthusiastic. They realise music is good for their business and they don’t want to deal with two different organisations at two different times of year.

They want one to make it easier so it’s less hassle and they can get on with running their business.”

PRS chief executive Robert Ashcroft, for one, has stressed his keenness to make joint licensing work and teams have been put in place across both organisations “to make it happen”, added the spokesman.

However, even if it does come about, a single joint licence is unlikely to be much cheaper than two separate licences, the PRS has also emphasised, although any efficiency savings that accrue from the two organisations working together could be fed down the line. “We are at the start of this journey and it’s quite complicated because historically we have grown up separately and there’s lots of work to do to harmonise the tariffs,” said the PRS spokesman.

PPL conceded “a trend” was developing, with a spokeswoman confirming: “We want to do as much as we can to work together.” PPL also confirmed it had finally established an ombudsman complaints service, something first revealed in SalonFocus two years ago (SalonFocus, May/June 2010), and a move that follows the decision

by PRS to launch a similar service.

NHF members can get the music they play covered under the NHF’s blanket licence with PPL, which offers a discounted rate of 10 percent against published licence fees. But they sill need to approach PRS separately.

A fact-sheet on music licensing can be downloaded from the NHF’s “eshop”, at www.nhf.info.

PAGE 12 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

BEAUTY

SPOTS

BOTOX WARNING

Salons are being warned new General Medical Council (GMC) guidelines on prescribing botulinum toxins, such as Botox, could increase costs and even force some hair and beauty salons to stop offering the service. The GMC has banned remote prescribing of such treatments, meaning doctors or independent nurse prescribers must have face-to-face consultations with clients except in cases of repeat prescription. Ron Myers, director of the aesthetic information website Consulting Room, warned some salons could as a result lose their visiting practitioner, which could drive up costs.

TECH FAILURES

Health and beauty businesses are among the least “savvy” when it comes to using technology, according to a survey by insurer Simply Business. In a “top 10” of small business sectors not using technology to its full potential, health and beauty came fifth, it argued. Across all sectors, one in five small businesses lacked in basic IT skills, it added.

SUNBED SPAT

Nine out of 10 sunbeds in England fail to meet British and European safety standards, research has argued. A study in the British Journal of Dermatology for the charity Cancer Research UK concluded levels of ultraviolet radiation emitted by 400 sunbeds were on average two times higher than recommended limits. But the research has been rejected by the Sunbed Association, which argued the findings were “two years out of date” .

SAFETY COURSE

A new qualification designed to reduce health and safety risks in beauty salons has been launched by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

The one-day Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in Hair and Beauty is also applicable to hairdressing salons and covers issues such as appropriate roles, responsibilities and standards, risk assessment, risk control and identifying and controlling hygiene hazards.

SURGERY CALL

A major report on reforms to cosmetic surgery regulations is due to be published this month. A government-commissioned review into cosmetic interventions by NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh was set up in the wake of the PIP breast implant scandal and his final report is expected at the end of March.

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MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 13

COLUMN

The eyes have it

For many hairdressers, “success” nowadays is making a name for yourself on fashion spreads, on TV or on the catwalk. But, for me, competition work remains very much the pinnacle of this industry.

Whether it’s the Desmond Murray British Hairdressing is an award-winning Awards, new photographer and arrivals such as hairdresser. In 2009 last November’s he was inducted Britain’s Best, the into the British competitions run by Hairdressing the big-name brands Awards’ Hall of such as L’Oréal, Fame and won the Wella or Goldwell Men’s Hairdresser of or simply getting the Year category. noticed at regional In 2010 he won awards, being judged the Association and validated by your Internationale peers, as well as by Presse the public, is what Professionnelle can set you apart as Coiffure’s Best a hairdresser.

Photographic Knowing how to Collection of Year. showcase your work effectively through photo-shoots is so, so important these days. It gets you through to the finals of competitions and it puts you in the running with picture, fashion and film editors, not to mention simply making your website stand out and your salon a go-to destination. A compelling, visually arresting shoot gives you an immediate tool to take out to the media and use to raise your profile.

I’ve been working closely with the NHF (particularly the London Region) in recent months, and am again this year, running “personalised” photo-shoots to pass on some of the tips I’ve learnt in the 18 years I’ve been involved in hairdressing and photography.

Mood board

Before you even think about getting into the studio it is vital to have a proper meeting with the photographer. If the shoot is for a competition everyone

PAGE 14 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

A compelling photo-shoot is the key to getting noticed in the media, on the catwalk or on the competition circuit.

Desmond Murray primes his lens to show you how.

needs to have done their homework on what the category is, who’s won in the past, what’s the quality we need to be reaching? It’s a similar case for magazine shoots – what are you going to need to be presenting visually to get noticed?

You need to go carefully through the end look – the hair (of course), but also the make-up, clothes, models and “feel” of the shoot.

I recommend creating a mood board where the hair is the focal point but these other factors are also prominent. The casting of models is hugely important – your models are going to be your blank canvas, probably 60 per cent of your image, so spend time to get them right.

When it comes to the shoot itself, I reckon your maximum is probably three to four models a day, perhaps two in the morning and two in the afternoon. It’s important you’ve discussed this with the photographer! It goes without saying – or should do – that there should have been extensive practising beforehand.

Signature look

of late around mobile phone-based photographic competitions. At one level I’m a real fan of these as I strongly believe anything that’s going to help up-andcoming talent overcome the barriers to showcasing their work should be encouraged. But, while the quality of

A photographer will often have Desmond Murray’s signature styles a certain “look” or signature – I know my shoots do. People such as Andrew mobile cameras is improving all the time, O’Toole, Jenny Hands, John Rawson, you do have to recognise it’s not going to Martin Evening or Jack Eames – be the same as what you’ll get through a photographers I really rate – are also professional shoot. A memorable image is really distinctive. We aim for bold, so much more than just clicking a shutter. punchy, strong images, a lot of clarity and cleanness in the tone, skin, colours and • Des will be holding a personalised so on. photo-shoot for the London Region If money is an issue, one way to get on March 13, at the Schwarzkopf started is to approach a local college to Academy in London. More details see if there are photography students can be obtained from Ian Egerton who may be happy to do shoots for by phone-020 7357 7070 or by free as a way to add to their portfolio. email-ian@ico-management.com.

Modelling agencies can also be a good Des’ latest collections can be viewed way in, as they often want willing at www.desmondmurray.com hairdressers to work on shoots. The website www.whostesting.com is another good place to investigate. Look out, too, Credits for any seminars or events being run by Hair and photos – Desmond Murray your NHF region.

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PAGE 16 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013 MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 16

INSPIRED The latest collection from Toni&Guy, this year’s mentor to NHF Inspire,

by Ryuta Saiga, Newcomer of the Year finalist in 2012 British Hairdressing Awards

Credits Hair: Ryuta Saiga TONI&GUY Sloane Square, London UK Photography: David Mannah Clothes styling: Clare Frith Make-up: Kamila Siemiatkowska

www.nhf.info www.nhf.info

SALONFOCUS PAGE PAGE 17 17 MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS

INSPIRED

PAGE 18 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013 PAGE 18 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

INSPIRED

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MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 19 MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 19

BUSINESS FOCUS

Are you a threat to your business?

If the value of your business has slumped, it’s because of the recession, right? Not necessarily. In a provocative analysis, business adviser Mark Selby argues one of the biggest drags could, in fact, be you.

With 2013 panning out to be no easier on the high street than last year, it’s not surprising the economy remains the topic of conversation for many salon owners.

And when it comes to looking to sell up, many owners, naturally, blame the continuing tough economic climate for any drop in value of their business.

However, there can be another factor. It’s unpalatable to say it and it’s something business owners often recognise only when it’s too late – you.

How does this happen? In a word: over-reliance. When a business – whether a hairdressing salon or any other – becomes over-reliant on a single individual this will almost inevitably mean it fails to realise its true or expected value when the time comes to sell.

One sure sign can be if, when the owner is absent for an extended period, the business runs smoothly for a short time but then quickly deteriorates once its guiding influence has gone.

Over-involvement

Another way is to ask yourself two questions (and you do need to answer truthfully): do most issues end up on my desk, do I you feel nothing happens unless I’m involved? If the answer is “yes”, then you could have a problem.

How, though, does this affect the value of your business?

Surely giving a business identity, vision and direction is no bad thing?

Let’s assume a typical profit-based Mark Selby is valuation of a salon corporate finance is £500,000 and the director at potential sale quickly accountancy and attracts an interested business advisory party. firm Baldwins.

The buyer is

PAGE 20 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

seeking a well-run business that will continue to operate successfully and which can be integrated easily within their existing organisation following purchase.

The buyer completes due diligence and makes an offer but, crucially, it’s significantly less than the valuation. Why the big difference?

The majority of salons are managed by their owners – and that’s the problem.

The success of these businesses is based on their vision, insight, hard work and often sheer bloody-mindedness.

Unfortunately, many owners also feel no one cares as much about the business as they do, feeling things will go wrong if they don’t make every decision or solve every problem. They feel they must be at the heart of everything.

The problem is any serious potential buyer will identify this reliance and, almost inevitably, reduce their valuation accordingly.

This will be because they will perceive an increased risk to its future success without the crucial driving influence of the original owner. They may, too, feel there will be a greater cost to integrating the business once the owner is no longer involved.

In the worst cases, where the owner is involved in even the smallest aspects of the business, it might prompt the buyer to walk away from the deal entirely.

So, what’s the answer?

Unfortunately there is no single step an owner can take. But clearly, owners wishing to sell now or in the future should work to reduce the amount the business depends on them. There are, for example, some simple questions you can ask, including: • Do employees really know what is expected of them?

• Do they know what to do and when to do it?

• Do customers consistently complain about the same things?

PROUD OWNER: BUT ARE YOU FAILING TO LET GO?

• Are projects consistently delivering less than expected?

Essentially, anyone buying a business wants to be sure it will continue to operate once the owner has relinquished control or left the business completely – that needs to be the goal you are aiming for.

Step back and add value

To generate a sustainable, profitable and valuable business, the owner therefore needs to take a more strategic, hands-off approach to their business. Or employ someone who will!

Many owners are surprised what their employees are capable of once they have learnt the tricky art of delegation and begun to transfer over a degree of responsibility and control.

Finally, if you feel you’re struggling to see the woods from the trees don’t be afraid to seek the input of an external adviser – perhaps your accountant, an exit specialist or your bank’s small business adviser – who may be able to help deliver a more objective “big picture” view. But you do have to be prepared to listen, learn… and let go.

If you read nothing else read this…

• A business that is over-reliant on its owner will have a lower valuation on sale • Owners considering exiting should be looking urgently at relinquishing control • Don’t be afraid to get external advice

for your diaries

Sunday 6th October www.nhf.info www.nhf.info

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 21

BUSINESS FOCUS

One in a

million Only the most old-fashioned hairdresser would argue that the internet has not been a huge opportunity for hairdressing salons. Here you have a highly visual, interactive, fast-moving medium through which you can reach – potentially at least – way beyond your local high street.

Innovative new forms of “viral” marketing have emerged and, on top of this, the rise and rise of social media has created exciting new ways in which people can access, engage Sean Greentree and communicate is marketing with salons. Many manager at digital salons, rightly, are communications working very hard to specialist netXtra, make the most of the designer of the business opportunities NHF’s new-look now offered by the website. internet.

Nevertheless, for most businesses, especially small ones with little time and fewer resources, their website remains the core “channel” through which they communicate with online audiences.

It may now link through to other media, social or otherwise, but the website still tends to be the hub, the doorway, into the business. So, given the exponential rise in web traffic and websites in recent years, what “tricks” can small businesses use to ensure their voices are heard above the colossal noise of information that is now the internet?

• Interesting and unique content sets you apart Writing for the web is very different than writing for any other media. Attention spans are limited and so it is vital to keep content short and to the point. It may be tempting simply to copy content in from another source (a sales or marketing brochure, for example), but you’ll get much better results if you craft content specifically for the web.

Search engines prioritise sites that come up with the most useful, unique and authoritative information for any given

PAGE 22 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

Having a great website is one thing, getting it noticed online is quite another.

Sean Greentree outlines how not to end up down an online back alley.

search – so make sure your information fits that bill.

• Format your content It’s second nature but when we open up a book we look for a table of contents to help us “navigate” through the information. We will then drill down into further categorisations such as, perhaps, the specific name or title of a chapter. A search engine does exactly the same thing.

To rank your website, the search engines rely on you to name each page of your website according to the content of each page, and to title that content in a way that easily categorises on-page topics.

• Link recommendations If you wanted to get a recommendation on, say, the best book to teach you Spanish who would you ask: a native Spanish teacher or your cat? I’m being extreme, of course, the answer is straight-forward (and cat lovers please don’t write in).

Again, search engines “think” in much the same way. In-bound web links to your website from well-established “authoritative” websites will give far more credit to your content and move you up the search engine rankings.

Avoiding broken links to old pages is also important. Equally, constantly moving pages around and breaking web link addresses can harm your rankings.

• Think where and how people will be looking at your website As smart phones become ever-more ubiquitous you’ll probably need to think about ensuring your website offers responsive design.

By this, we mean the page changes and adjusts its layout to fit whatever device the visitor is using to view it – be that a laptop, a tablet device or smart phone. It’s important not to underestimate the growing numbers of people using varying devices to browse the internet.

Tools such as Google Analytics can help you monitor the response of visitors to your

pages, and the most popular aspects of your site. Another great general tool, incidentally, is Google Places, essentially a free listings site that shows users looking for, say, local hairdressers where they are in any given area through pins on a map.

• Once you’ve been found, give the visitor what they came for This sounds obvious, and is basic business sense. But the functionality and design of your website plays a major role in how you present your organisation, its brand and your overall message to the world.

It stands to reason, therefore, (but is something overlooked surprisingly often) that one of the first steps to designing the layout of your site is to understand why and how it will be used by your audience.

Is it to gather information? To purchase products? Or is it going to be more somewhere for users to meet and chat, either with you or between themselves?

Whatever the answer, you need to make sure navigation is highly visible no matter what page the visitor is on, so the user knows where they are on the site at all times.

Always have at least one clear link back to the homepage and try not to overcrowd the homepage with content – often, as the old adage states, a picture can be equal to a 1,000 words!

• Find out all about the NHF’s new website within Federation Focus

www.nhf.info

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 23

TOOLBOX: EQUIPMENT

Chair care

At the risk of stating the obvious, colour is nowadays one of the most important revenue streams of any busy salon. Even in a tough economic climate where clients are stretching the time between appointments – in fact perhaps even because of this – the regular colour client is one you definitely don’t want to lose.

Clients having their hair coloured will be in the salon – and in the salon chair – for that much longer, meaning your backwash chair is now one of the most important investments you will make as a salon owner.

In fact, as Andre Dupratt, national territory manager at Takara Belmont, explains, in many respects if a client even notices the backwash chair you may already be in trouble.

“Clients tend to focus on furniture itself if it makes them feel uncomfortable and aggravates their yearning for relaxation. It should enhance and integrate into the whole look of the salon and be appreciated for its quality. Achieve this and the salon wins a reputation for providing supreme comfort... not necessarily the chair!” he says.

“Remember, your clients spend pretty much their whole time with you in the salon sitting in a chair, so it is integral to your services and their experience – it’s not an area for compromise,” he adds.

“Comfort and adjustability are absolutely key these days,” agrees Karlene Fowler, director at Salon Hair Supplies.

Popular extras

“More salons are going for ‘extras’ such as electric leg rests and vibro-massage.

With colour so important and lucrative for most salons, investing in a backwash chair that remains comfortable over long periods is absolutely vital.

SalonFocus investigates.

Neck cushions can be important in this context; clients do now expect to be comfortable however long they are in the chair for. Options such as a tilting basin are becoming more important, too,” Karlene adds.

“Leg rests, in fact, although still a relatively new development, are becoming much more popular. Salons are recognising that clients, especially shorter clients, don’t want to be sitting there with their legs dangling. A leg rest makes the chair more comfortable and takes pressure away from the legs.

“It varies, but an electric leg rest can add around £300 to the cost of a chair – but then knowing that your client is going to be comfortable can make all the difference,” she suggests.

“A backwash should always provide a comfortable experience for your customer; it helps them relax for the experience through the salon. It needs to be clean and inviting for the customer with no clutter; and always use fresh, clean towels or, even better, eco disposable ones, which are becoming very popular,” echoes Andy Colbourne, national furniture manager at Aston & Fincher.

Nevertheless, intense pressures on salon budgets are forcing owners to look long and hard at what add-ons are really going to add value and provide that all-important return on investment, concedes Albert Ewan, of Albert Ewan Design.

“For the last decade or more, salons have been enhancing the experience by adding massaging systems to all new backwash purchases,” he explains.

“But lately this has dropped away and massage has fallen to less than 15 per cent of all multiple backwash purchases,” he adds.

One issue can be that massagerelated time delays have the potential to play havoc with a salon’s time management. “Mechanically produced massage has almost fallen away totally in favour of much more controllable air vibration massage,” estimates Albert.

Mutual benefit COMFORT: INOVA-EX MOTORISED CHAIR FROM TAKARA BELMONT

PAGE 24 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

Nevertheless, he agrees the watchword with backwash chairs and units is “most definitely comfort, comfort, comfort”.

Albert adds: “Salons have discovered that a client being fully relaxed will mutually enhance the experience – and profits. Ideally therefore, the client should have the majority of their body supported along its entire length and totally reduce neck pressure.”

“Tired, damaged or inferior equipment may need constant repair, maintenance or even replacement, which serves as a disruption to services and adversely affects the service experience for customers,” advises Takara Belmont’s Andre.

OPTIONAL LEG REST: REM CASCADE ZEBRA FROM SALON HAIR SUPPLIES

“So, in addition to looking at the price tag and comparing on price, you should consider the long-term cost implications of compromising, as cheaper equipment may well cost you more money over time.

‘Make sure you look at the best brands and options and, importantly, try before you buy!” he adds.

Some key questions: • What’s more important to me, budget or suitability?

• Does it suit the range of services?

• Does the design suit our interior style and enhance the visual salon experience?

• Is it a reputable brand, is it robust?

• Is the comfort right?

• What support will there be?

• What sort of payment options come with it?

time to discover

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TOOLBOX: RELATIONSHIPS

Taking account of business

Your accountant will know you, your salon and your local business environment inside and out. So why only use them for doing your books? SalonFocus looks at how your accountant can be much more than a number cruncher.

All salon owners are keenly aware time is money, whether it’s the decisions you make over opening hours, the inevitable time/ cost calculations that accompany every client or, more widely, the bill you’re “happy” to stomach from your accountant.

Some salon owners, of course, save money by spending considerable time and brain-ache doing the books themselves.

But, especially as a business grows and becomes more demanding and financially complex, it’s more often a case of trying to balance doing as much of the leg-work yourself to keep the bills down while getting “sign off” to ensure peace of mind that everything is in order.

Business resource Yet, as Simon Clark, partner with accountancy firm Kingston Smith argues, in a tough economic climate small and micro business owners need to start becoming less tunnel-visioned about the potential business resource on their doorstep that is their accountant.

“There is often a very understandable worry that, if you phone up your accountant you will be charged for the 15 minutes, or whatever it takes, and suddenly landed with a fee note.

“But what tends to get overlooked is, actually, what has that advice saved you?

What was its value? Often it is going to be quite substantial. So there can be a mindset issue to overcome; people need to recognise that picking up the phone is not going to be just a cost but potentially a benefit,” he adds.

Accountants, he concedes, can often be as much to blame. “In an industry such as accountancy it can be very easy to end up sitting on your hands and just waiting for the client to come in, do their books, get in the fee and then not see each other again for eleven-and-a-half months.

“But, in fact, being proactive on both

PAGE 26 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

sides can bring huge benefits. It could be something really simple, perhaps mentioning the benefits of using the flat rate scheme for VAT. If you don’t have the conversation you’ll never know,” Simon explains.

Wider perspective

such as PR, HR and law Adrian adds.

“We run themed breakfasts where people can share knowledge about finance, technology, marketing and other subjects.

We can also connect clients with other clients as well as non-clients; it all adds value,” says Simon.

“We had one client who was running an events company and was looking to develop a franchise model – something that, of course, hairdressers sometimes consider doing too – and so we were able ADRIAN PRICE: to put them in touch EXPERIENCE with a marketing and branding person who also specialised in this area and could help them develop the right sorts of tools. It was just about creating a bigger, better offer that complemented each other,” Simon adds.

So, where and how can accountants make a difference? Adrian Price of accountancy firm Menzies argues that, for starters, it makes sense to recognise your accountant will probably have been around the block a few times, will have seen small businesses come and go, survive and thrive, and so may well be able to bring a valuable perspective to how you are doing.

“A good accountant will be able to help clarify your thinking. An accountant should have good local knowledge and be able to look at the business scene in your area or sector and be able to talk to you from a strategic perspective,” he says.

“Of course accountants can help with a lot of the regulatory stuff, health and safety and PAYE and so on. But it is about more SIMON CLARK: than being focused on the numbers, it is RESOURCE how do you create a business and then drive it forward, how do you ensure it is going to meet your longer-term business goals?

“Ten years ago Your accountant may be able to help by… accountancy was very much • talking through aspirations, both business and compliance focused, now it is personal, to help the business work better for you; • helping formulate long-term plans, such as succession much more consultancy-led, planning, growth, franchising; with the accountant often • bringing new ideas to your attention, especially from working much more as a other sectors or industries; strategic partner.

• providing introductions and contacts; We, for example, can • tax planning, offering PAYE/VAT “health checks”; direct you to a range of other • financing and banking arrangements, profit specialists: tax, personal maximisation and tax-efficient extraction of profits; finance, wealth management, • risk management; corporate finance, exiting and • offering access to HR support for staffing issues and succession and so on. dealing with difficult situations; and We also work with a range • running business education and information seminars. of preferred suppliers in areas

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TOOLBOX: TRIED & TESTED

Tried & Tested

The NHF’s Tried and Tested panel of top salon owners gives its regular verdict on a range of established and new product and equipment

The product:

GKhair Strong Hold and Light Hold Hairspray and Dry Shampoo Description: GKhair’s two new aerosol hairsprays are fortified with Juvexin to provide hair with a high-gloss shine, humidity protection and frizz reduction.

The strong-hold spray provides “a firm finish with memory retention” for styles that last all day. The light-hold spray “creates lightweight control allowing hair artists to create beautiful, flexible styles without sacrificing the desired result”, says the company. The aerosol dry shampoo “instantly refreshes styles while gently cleansing scalp without the use of traditional shampoos,” it adds.

”Was there anything that stood out, good or bad?

Our testers said: “The light-hold spray was great on smooth styling looks, with strong hold.

It was excellent on hair-up styling.” “I liked the fact that the dry shampoo did not leave a dustyness to the hair; it was very light.”

Any other comments?

Our testers said: “The hairsprays were really nice, as you could comb them through as well.” “Good on hair extensions.”

The SalonFocus Tried and Tested panel is made up of NHF members who are not paid for their opinions. The rating is the opinion of the panel alone. Manufacturers who wish to submit items for testing should contact Tina Beaumont at NHF head office on tina.beaumont@nhf.info. Three samples will normally be required. Being accepted is not a guarantee a review will be published.

The product:

Wahl Long Barrel Curling Tong Description: Wahl’s Long Barrel Curling Tong has an extra long 20cm ceramic coated barrel, making it easy to curl even long hair. “The ceramic coating protects the hair from heat damage and frizz, leaving curls looking healthy and shiny,” says the company. “The three-metre swivel cord and swivel cool top allow for tangle-free styling and a top temperature of 200°C means you’ll get the curls you’ll love,” it adds.

Did it work?

Our testers said: “Yes. No heat damage, it presented hair in great condition, with lasting shine.” “Yes.”

Would you use it in your salon?

Our testers said: “Yes.” “An excellent finishing tool to a well-executed hairstyle.”

PAGE 28 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

Was there anything that stood out, good or bad?

Our testers said: “It was an easy-touse product.” “I really liked the fact I could use it as a wand or tongs.”

Any other general comments Our testers said: “It held heat through the whole of the styling procedure.” “Really nice curls.”

Tried and Tested overall rating: 5

The product:

Shavedoctor’s After Shave Cooling Gel

Did it work?

Our testers said: “Yes – I gave it to a male member of staff!” “I found an improvement of the skin was noticed after four shaves. So yes it worked.”

Tried and Tested overall rating: 4

Would you use it in your salon?

Our testers said: “Yes, an excellent styling tool.” “Yes.”

HHHHH

Description: The Shavedoctor’s After Shave Cooling Gel can heavily reduce the appearance of noticeable redness that appears on the skin, more commonly found on the neck area, says the company, adding it can “calm the irritation after shaving, also effectively reducing the appearance of unsightly razor bumps”.

Did it work?

Our testers said: “It worked really well. “Yes.”

HHHH

How Tried and Tested works:

Would you use it in your salon?

Our testers said: “Yes, if we were barbers.” “Yes, as it would be suitable for some clients

because of their skin’s condition.”

Was there anything that stood out, either good or bad?

Our testers said: “It had a good smell but took quite a long time to dry.”

“The cooling effect did not last for a long period in some cases.”

Any other general comments?

Our testers said: “A nice product.” “It would be better if the consistency of the gel was a little thinner to enable it to have a much easier application.”

HHH

Tried and Tested overall rating: 3.5

FEDERATION FOCUS

Toni&Guy to be Inspire mentor for 2013…

THE TONI&GUY TEAM: ANNIVERSARY

This year’s mentor for the NHF’s Inspire artistic team has been announced as the Toni&Guy International Artistic Team.

The award-winning team will follow on from a successful year for Inspire during 2012 under the mentorship of the Trevor Sorbie Artistic Team, and continues Inspire’s long-standing reputation for securing industry-leading mentors.

The Toni&Guy team has won numerous awards, including the British Hairdressing Awards Artistic Team of the Year and membership of the BHA’s Hall of Fame.

This year is also its 50th anniversary on the high street.

The team will work with the members

of Inspire throughout the year, with its mentorship starting this month.

It will aim to pass on its knowledge and experience through a combination of seminars, photo-shoots, presentations and demonstrations.

Educational seminar days will cover editorial work, hair up, cutting and colouring. At the end of the year the team will create a bespoke hair collection working alongside the Inspire team.

“We’re really excited to be working with the NHF Inspire artistic team.

Between myself and the rest of the team we have so much hairdressing knowledge to share with them and I hope we can give them as much inspiration and as many ideas they need to help them grow,”

… as Barbers’ Elite collects fans with Fudge The NHF’s Barbers’ Elite team spent an exhilarating and challenging day in January working with Fudge, official hair partner for London Collections: Men. The team assisted Fudge creative director John Vial backstage at the show on Tuesday January 8, the middle day of the three-day showcase of British and international design talent.

The show highlighted the work of high-profile menswear designers, including Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, Hardy Amies, Meadham Kirchhoff, JW Anderson, Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders, Belstaff and Topman Design.

The Barbers’ Elite team assisted with the Christopher Shannon and James Long shows.

The hair for the Christopher Shannon show was focused on the comb over, with Christopher wanting the hair to look “slightly nerdy” with a greasy matte finish and then swept over.

www.nhf.info

OPPORTUNITY: BARBERS’ ELITE AT LONDON COLLECTIONS

The James Long show was all about styling to complement his multi-textured clothing, meaning the hair needed to be polished, well-groomed and set in a deep side part.

Team manager James Beattie said: “We all thoroughly enjoyed it and, although it was out of some of our comfort zone as barbers, it was a great opportunity to show the industry just how easy it is to adapt our skills and use them in the fashion world.”

said Cos Sakkas, head of education at Toni&Guy. As one of the final events of the 2012/2013 mentorship under the Trevor Sorbie Artistic Team, Inspire members attended an educational day with creative stylist Adam Szabo in December.

Adam worked on their final New Year shoot, and demonstrated a different cut and hair up on two live models.

The tiered cut displayed a range of technical skills involving clippers, intrusion and freehand cutting while the hair up used wire mesh to show the team how to create illusions and enhance depth and shadows within hair, and how you would incorporate this into a photo-shoot.

Could you be NHF treasurer?

The NHF’s honorary treasurer Jeffery Bonn completes his term of office in October 2013 and therefore the post will become vacant and is now open for nominations.

The successful candidate will sit on the Federation’s NEC and, among a range of responsibilities, their duties will include being the NHF’s principal “champion” on financial issues, presenting the financial results at AGM and to NEC, ensuring proper accounts and records are kept and advising NEC. Nominations for the post must be received by or before May 17.

Further details on the post can be found in the insert included within this edition of SalonFocus.

Anyone interested in nominating themselves for the role but who has not received the insert for whatever reason should contact NHF head office on 0845 345 6500 or 01234 831965.

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 29

FEDERATION FOCUS

Federation website gets From the high-tech makeover NEC The NHF’s website, www.nhf.info has been given a brand new look to help members access the Federation’s extensive range of benefits at the touch of a button as well as keep them up-to-date with what is going on both nationally and within regions and networks.

The new look is due to go “live” this month following an extensive redesign carried out by specialist web design and digital communications company netXtra.

NHF WEBSITE: NEW LOOK Members will be able to use the new site to join and renew their “Hairdressing is a vibrant, creative, membership online, register for events, fast-moving environment, so it is only shop and follow the latest industry right the NHF has a website that reflects news. this,” said Stephanie Munno, director There are new “tabs” leading for membership and development. through to membership benefits, an “Being able to benefit from all the NHF Spotlight element where any new NHF can offer is absolutely vital for membership offers and benefits will be salons in the current difficult economic featured, a “salon search” tool for the environment. So a priority of this public to find salons as well as regional redesign has been to ensure the website and national news, information and allows members to access the full menu updates and, of course, the latest images of membership benefits in a way that is and work from the Federation’s Barbers’ quick, intuitive and straightforward,” Elite and Inspire artistic teams. she added.

Keep it clear!

Date is set for 2013 Britain’s Best This year’s Britain’s Best will be held on Sunday November 17.

The event will once again be held in Birmingham, with the exact venue still to be confirmed.

Planning is already well underway for this year’s competition, following the popularity of the inaugural event last November, which was attended by more than 250 people.

Look out for full details of specific categories and how to enter in the May/June edition of SalonFocus.

Feedback from the regions and around the country was that the 2012

PAGE 30 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

Britain’s Best was a huge success, and the consensus is that members will be aiming to build upon and replicate its “buzz” this year.

The 2012 event, for example, included an innovative Click ‘n’ Send Head of the Year Competition and Text Vote Popularity Poll.

The launch of the Federation’s manifesto for apprenticeships (see News, page nine) will, obviously, be a huge piece of work for the education committee during this coming year, writes education committee chairman John Armstrong.

We very much hope this will be a document that helps to crystallise as well as promote the training aspirations of employers within the hairdressing industry.

The Richard Review was very positive in the way it echoed what the NHF has been saying for years about the need for apprenticeships to be made “fit for purpose” from the employers’ perspective.

What therefore is needed now is a constructive dialogue between employers, training providers, awarding bodies and organisations such as Habia on how best to take this agenda forward.

The fact Habia now has a new managing director and we, in turn, will soon have a new secretary general gives a real opportunity for new ideas and thinking to come through. As a Federation, we have a duty to present the objectives of employers with strong voice, and the manifesto will be a vital part of that.

Another longer term strand of activity, but of equal importance, is the committee’s aspiration during 2013 and 2014 to create a regional network of education “champions”.

It is early days, but our aim is to work with each NHF region and, further down, individual networking groups to find examples of best practice when it comes to education.

This could be salon-based training, salons working with colleges, salons’ relationships with training providers and so on. So we need you to be talking to your region!

The NHF is unique in our industry in the depth of knowledge and experience that its members can bring to bear. But we need to be sharing this expertise better, creating an evidence base of best practice that, in turn, will communicate our agenda for change and push for reform in the most compelling way possible.

FEDERATION FOCUS

Diamond Awards to sparkle in October

The Federation is working to develop a brand new event to kick off this October – the NHF’s Diamond Awards.

The black tie event will celebrate and showcase the excellence of hairdressing salons – both NHF-member salons and others within the industry – covering everything from business acumen to customer service and including up-andcoming newcomers and salons that excel in humanitarian and charitable work.

“We are most excited about the new Diamond Awards, which we very much hope will become one of the jewels in the NHF social calendar,” said conference committee chairman Ian Egerton.

“The aim of this new event will be, very simply, to bring NHF members together to celebrate our creativity,

showcase our skills and share our passion for hairdressing,” he added.

The inaugural event will be held on October 6, just prior to this year’s Federation annual conference in Manchester.

The NHF’s long-standing and popular Photographic Stylist of the Year Competition will be incorporated into the event, with the winners also announced on October 6.

The closing date for entries for this competition will be May 29.

A flyer with further details on the photographic competition is being included in this edition of SalonFocus and there will be more details on the Diamond Awards in the May/June edition.

Regional round-up

They thought it was just going to be a lunch among old friends, but past national president Harry Walker and former regional president David Fieldhouse were taken pleasantly by surprise in November when they were both presented with Honorary Membership certificates as approved by NEC regional president Cheryl Earnshaw.

The event at Rockliffe Hall in Hurworth, County Durham, was attended by new, current and retired members, who all raised their glasses to the achievements of Harry and David over the years and their dedication to the Federation.

West of Scotland Networking Group, meanwhile, held a successful members’ day networking and business improvement seminar with business consultant Julie Eldrett in November.

North West Region hosted its annual Cheshire Championships at the Romiley Forum Theatre in Stockport in November, with competitors travelling from across the region to attend.

www.nhf.info

Organisers were pleased to see numbers were up on last year, clear evidence of the continuing popularity of such regional competitions. The winner was Samuel Habte, owner of Decent Cut barbers at Manchester’s Arndale Centre.

Celebrity hairdresser and professional photographer Desmond Murray was the star attraction at two regional events either side of Christmas.

First, more than 300 members and non-members attended a masterclass by Des in November hosted by Bournemouth and Reading Networking Group.

The evening saw six models showcasing catwalk and day shapes on stage followed by an audience-led Q&A session.

This was followed in January by a London Region personalised photo-shoot overseen by Des at the Schwarzkopf Academy in the capital.

Hairdressers were encouraged to bring their own models and learn from Des how to produce perfect images that

Mudrunners wanted!

It’s not for the faint hearted, but head office’s newest recruits, events assistant Melanie Collins and marketing executive Tori Priestley, are looking for members to join them this summer when they take on the gruelling six-mile “Mudrunner” challenge for charity.

The circuit through thick, wet and deep mud at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire on Saturday June 29 and Sunday June 30 will be raising money for HABB and the charity Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs to children who have lost their own through treatment for cancer.

Anyone interested in joining Mel and Tori in person should email melanie.collins@nhf.info Alternatively, if you want to stay clean but still support them please go to www.mudrunner.co.uk for more details.

showcased their work to the max.

One member, Tana Bennett, from Tana B Hair Co in Sanderstead, Surrey, praised Des for being “attentive and patient with excellent guidance to achieve the look but allowing creative freedom”.

Charlotte Johnson, from The Annexx in Berkhamsted, added that the day was “fantastic fun and brilliantly organised”.

See tips from Des on how to create a compelling photo-shoot, page 14.

WINNER: DESIGN BY SAMUEL HABTE

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 31

CASE CONFIDENTIAL

‘bullying’ reveals a tangled family web When

Basil Long, senior legal consultant at Croner, operator of the NHF’s Legal Lifeline, analyses a real-life call to the helpline and the advice subsequently offered to the salon owner.

The salon was in a small town with a close-knit community. The owner employed four stylists and a manager.

The manager was his wife and one of the stylists was his daughter, “Emma” (her name has been changed).

All seemed well and the salon was attracting a lot of clients. But three of the stylists started to discuss that they felt Emma was lazy and “got away with it” because she was a family member.

They argued she often came in late, didn’t join in with shared cleaning activities and seemed to get the pick of the clients. Feeling disgruntled, they began to exclude her. She in turn started to feel isolated and complained to her father she felt she was being bullied.

He, however, had been noticing his daughter was, indeed, not attending on time, apparently cherry-picking clients and failing to complete all her duties to the expected standard. He had mentioned this to his wife and had expected her to pick up these issues with his daughter. But this hadn’t happened and, in fact, it seemed on many occasions his wife had agreed to his daughter’s late starts, provided preferential clients and had not dealt with her underlying conduct issues.

He now felt let down, both personally and professionally, and unsure how to deal with the situation.

Separate the personal

When he called Legal Lifeline we advised, first, that he needed to separate out his personal, family feelings and look to deal with them as employees.

He needed to address the performance issues associated not only with Emma but also with his wife in her failure to manage Emma or deal with the complaint of bullying.

One key area of difficulty was that his wife had seemingly been allowing and encouraging Emma’s behaviour, in effect giving assent to her actions.

To this end, he was advised it wouldn’t be appropriate to take formal action

PAGE 32 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

against Emma in relation to these actions.

Rather a better course was to revisit the salon’s expectations of her in her role and outline those clearly to her – in writing – so any future failure could be dealt with effectively.

This left how to deal with his wife.

What needed to be made clear, again, was that her role in the salon was distinct from that as his wife, and it was important therefore to outline the obligations and expectations of her by the business.

In theory there was the potential to take formal action against her but, given the relationships, he felt it would be better to deal with this informally and reestablish work boundaries.

However, there was still the outstanding issue of Emma feeling bullied by her colleagues.

The actions of the stylists in actively excluding her certainly could amount to bullying, and therefore this wasn’t something that could be ignored.

However, with Emma’s behaviour having precipitated their actions, the owner needed to establish with Emma whether she wanted this to be dealt with informally or if she preferred a more formal grievance procedure to be followed

Mediated discussion

The owner was then able to talk to all parties and resolve the issue by listening to the stylists’ complaints and assuring them of the changes taking place

and, through a mediated session, the differences between the stylists were resolved.

He was also advised to ensure all his staff were trained on bullying and harassment and a policy issued underlining the unacceptability of such future behaviour, and potential action that could arise. This would help protect his staff from being subjected to this behaviour and also safeguard his position in terms of vicarious liability.

Ultimately, it is imperative where relatives are working together that there are clear distinctions drawn between the relationship that exists because they are family and the employment relationship.

Had this been the case at the outset the distress and difficulty encountered by this salon owner may have been avoidable experience.

What the Legal Lifeline offers you: • •

24/7 employment-related queries Advice on commercial matters, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Access to the Legal Lifeline is available by calling 01234 834389.

Alternatively NHF members can log on to www.nhf.info. A summary of cover can be found on the reverse of your legal card carrier or by logging onto www.nhf.info.

The NHF operates a “fair use policy” for the lifeline. Members exceeding 50 calls within a 12-month period may be charged £20 plus VAT per call. All calls to the Legal Lifeline are recorded and monitored by Croner. If your chosen membership category does not include employer support service or your membership is unpaid at the time of any call a charge of £20 plus VAT will apply for all such calls made.

EVENTS NHF EVENTS OTHERS Please send your events to the NHF at enquiries@ nhf.info by March 5 for May/June, by May 2 for July/August and July 1 for September/October.

Updated events listed on www.nhf.info

13

MARCH London Region personalised Desmond Murray photoshoot, Schwarzkopf Academy London.

Contact: Ian Egerton on 0207 357 7070 or ian@icomanagement.com

17

MARCH Devon & Cornwall Championships, Redcliffe Hotel, Paignton.

Contact: Pat Cording on 01386 561704

17/18

MARCH Blackpool Hairdressing Competitions, Winter Gardens. Contact: Cheryl Swarbrick on 01253 343723 (day) or Eileen Clough on 01253 406834 (eve) or sueloe@tiscali.co.uk.

24 /25

MARCH Professional Hairdresser Live Exhibition, Manchester Central. NHF will be attending.

Details: www.prohairlive .co.uk

25

MARCH Patrick Cameron seminar, Derby College, Pride Park Derby.

Contact: Ivan Blount on 01773 745580

www.nhf.info

4

MAY President’s bi-annual dinner and Yorkshire Region networking event, Village Hotel, Hull. Contact: Linda Staveley on 01482 853215

10

MAY London Region ‘Race, Rattle and Roll’ Night, Ascot Racecourse.

Contact: Ian Egerton on 0207 357 7070 or ian@icomanagement.com

19

MAY Welsh Open Championships, The Coal Exchange, Cardiff Contact: Pani Lazarou on pani@nhfwales.co.uk

19/20

MAY Hair UK, the NEC, Birmingham Contact: www. beautyukshow.com/hairuk

23

JUNE South West Regional Championships, Weston Super Mare.

Contact: Pat Cording on 01386 561704

30

JUNE NHF head office ‘Mud Runner’ charity event. For more details go to: www. mudrunner.co.uk or contact melanie.collins@ nhf.info if you would like to join the team.

6

OCTOBER NHF Diamond Awards, Palace Hotel, Manchester Contact: Melanie Collins, melanie.collins@nhf.info

7

OCTOBER NHF Annual Conference, Palace Hotel, Manchester Contact: Melanie Collins, melanie.collins@nhf.info

11

NOVEMBER Cheshire Championships, NK Theatre, Romiley, Stockport.

Contact: Michael Burgum on 0161 220 7375

17

NOVEMBER Britain’s Best, Birmingham (venue to be confirmed) Details: www.britainsbest.me

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 33

SOCIAL MEDIA All the latest hairdressing-related tweets posts, pics and comments.

@nhfederation

john brown@johnbrown_19 That time of year again to start practising for @NHfederation hair competitions # funtimes

National Hairdressers’ Federation

Ian Egerton@ICOmanIan Everyone @NHfederation London Region is ready for their photo-shoot with @Desmurray tomorrow!

National Hairdressers’ Federation Our fabulous Barbers’ Elite team is currently backstage at the London Collections: Men with Fudge, working with Christopher Shannon and James Long!! It’s all very exciting and the styles look AMAZING!!

Top 10 reasons to belong to the NHF! Can you afford not to be a member? A little reminder on why you should be a member.

National Hairdressers’ Federation TONI&GUY Artistic Team confirmed as mentors to the NHF’s Inspire artistic team for 2013

Essence PR@essencepr Good luck to the Barbers’ Elite team @NHfederation at the # londoncollections with @FUDGEHAIR today! Gonna be wild.

allyson clewlow@allyson_hair good luck xxxx have a fab day xxxxx @NHfederation

Blaze Hairdressing@BlazeHairSalon @thecoachouse @nhfederation aww look after our Stuart xx

Ryan McCreadie, Mixalis Georgiou and Rachel Colson retweeted you Paul Curry: looking forward to an exciting year for Inspire and Elite.

Agnes Leonard: That’s fantastic! xxx

PAGE 34 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013

COPPERFIELDS HAIRDRESSING & BEAUTY Copperfields’ super stylist Deon had an amazing day at the London Collections yesterday - thanks so much NHF!

The Retreat@EHSalon Proving why he is @NHfederation “charity worker of the year” @Matt_Hellier is running the @HastingsHalf carrying his wife over 13 miles!

The CTPA@TheCTPA Thanks to @CorayandCo and @NHfederation for helping us Colour with Confidence.

Pro Hairdresser Mag@ProHairMag @NHFederation Inspire Team learn from Adam Szabo of @TSorbieHair.

Twitter followers: 888 Top Tweeter: The Retreat, Bexhill on Sea

Facebook likes: 5476 Top liker: Alexander Lawrence Hair Studio, Cambridge Connect with us and have your comments and tweets in the next issue of SalonFocus.

www.nhf.info

MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 35

PAGE 36 SALONFOCUS MARCH/APRIL 2013