Salonfocus Nov Dec2013

THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR SALON OWNERS

Colour card offers greater flexibility over allergy testing Paul Curry – my vision for a new NHF Minimum wage to be an electoral battleground NHF’s discount deal to maximise your website

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 | £3.50

PAGE 2 SALONFOCUS MAY/JUNE 2013

WAVELENGTH

The politics of the minimum wage poses a problem for hairdressing industry has for not complying with the NMW even as it is.

We may be a year-and-a-half away from The research published by the Department for Business the next General Election but this Innovation and Skills, as we also highlight, suggesting autumn’s party conferences showed nearly seven out of 10 hairdressing apprentices were paid where some of the battle lines between less than the legal minimum in 2012 is damning, and the political parties are likely to be makes it much harder for the industry to speak with any drawn – and one of the clearest looks credibility, irrespective of the fact NHF-member salons are set to be over pay. (or certainly should be) the “good guys” in any such debate.

I’m going to stick my neck out and The challenge for the industry over the next year to 18 predict that, when we look back on months is therefore going to be how to continue to make the 2015 election, it’ll be branded the the case for minimum wage restraint and even reform – to “feel-good election”. With the economy beginning to show signs of recovery, the continue to highlight the very real problems the NMW is causing on the high street – without ending up being focus (or the political focus at any rate) tarred as pandering to the worst instincts of the labour is shifting to how people feel financially. So it’s going to be market. about whether people feel better This balancing act will, of or worse off, how they feel about ‘The challenge for the industry over course, be but one challenge the security and stability of the next year to 18 months is going in the in-tray of new national what work they do have (hence president Paul Curry. As Paul the debate about zero-hours to be how to continue to make the emphasised at the annual contracts) and their perception conference in Manchester of how much is eaten up by bills case for minimum wage restraint last month (News, page six), before it gets to the household and even reform – to continue to his priority is going to be table (ditto why Labour leader Ed Miliband has focused so highlight the very real problems the membership. The vision he has set out for a more grassrootsmuch on energy and fuel).

NMW is causing on the high street focused Federation is not a Within this, pay and the radical departure (as he has national minimum wage (NMW) – without ending up being tarred as admitted himself ) but he is look like they are going to be pandering to the worst instincts of absolutely right to articulate it. If core topics, and this potentially the Federation is to continue to poses a problem for the the labour market.’ thrive it needs to be much better hairdressing industry. at reaching out to new members, As our members’ survey engaging people and, indeed, “selling” its brand to the on pages eight and nine shows, the reality for a labourgeneral public. intensive, relatively low wage industry dominated by small In Paul, the Federation has a very effective and straightand micro employers is that the NMW as it is currently talking leader. I, for one, am confident he will communicate structured does not really work. the passion, talent and dedication within hairdressing – Protecting workers from exploitation by setting a minimum level below which wages cannot go is, of course, nowhere more evident, by the way, than at this month’s Britain’s Best (but do hurry to get in entries or buy tickets, a laudable goal. The problem for salons is not so much see page 17 for details). the wage floor itself as that it keeps rising year on year, Finally, please do check out our news story and feature and that’s before we even get to the well-documented about the launch of the Allergy Alert Consultation limitations of the apprentices’ NMW. In a trading and Colour Record Card in September (News, page 5, environment that remains deeply challenging, as our Business Focus, page 22). This ground-breaking card has the report on page 11 on salon closures highlights, the effect potential to make a real difference to how salons operate of this on pay differentials between senior and junior staff, and, as importantly, help get the message across to clients let alone just on the ability of salons to carry on meeting that allergy alert testing should not be seen as a drag but their wages bill, is significant and, members have made as a vital protection for their health and safety. If you want clear, potentially unsustainable. to find out more, please come along to one of the NHF The difficulty for hairdressing is that, if anything, workshops running this month (see Events, page 33). the political traffic appears to be heading in the other direction, with all the talk being about ways to raise the wage rather than freeze or even reduce it.

A further problem is the stubborn reputation the

www.nhf.info

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 3

CONTENTS OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Marie Jennings is owner of Marie’s Cuts in Norwich, Norfolk

Keith Hunter is director of New Image Hair Design in Stonehaven

News

05 06 08-09 10 11 12 14

18-21

17

Colour ‘record card’ to offer allergy testing flexibility Paul Curry – ‘together we can achieve great things’ Industry on minimum wage collision course Warning over new cosmetics rules More salons closing than opening, says report Is the unisex salon heading for the exit?

Salons urged to review fire risk after tragedy

Final call for Britain’s Best! – don’t delay, get your entries in or tickets today!

29

Family fortunes – the benefits of offering childcare vouchers Making money mobile – how card processing is changing Tried and Tested – our panel testing page

REGULARS

09 12 14 16 30-31 32 33

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EVENTS Tori Priestley t: 01234 834386 e: victoria.priestley@nhf.info

BRITAIN’S BEST

28

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Andrew Don e: sfeditor@salonfocus.co.uk

Advertising Sales Manager Tricia McDougall e: tricia.mcdougall@mainlinemedia. co.uk

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Allergy alert cards – your questions answered Don’t fall foul of advertising watchdog over price transparency

26

EDITOR Nic Paton e: sfeditor@salonfocus.co.uk

Turnstyle, the new trend collection for 2013, from JOICO Trend

BUSINESS FOCUS

22 24

PUBLISHER Hilary Hall e: hilary.hall@nhf.info

t: +44 (0) 1536 747333 f: +44 (0) 1536 746565 w: www.mainlinemedia.co.uk

INSPIRED

34

Marie Stitson is manager and senior legal consultant at Croner, operator of the NHF’s Legal Lifeline

SALONFOCUS IS PUBLISHED BY: National Hairdressers’ Federation, One Abbey Court, Fraser Road, Priory Business Park, Bedford MK44 3WH t: 0845 345 6500 t: 01234 831965 f: 01234 838875 e: sfenquiries@salonfocus.co.uk w: www.nhf.info

Wavelength – The politics of the minimum wage poses a problem for hairdressing HairClips – councils’ car parks windfall Movers and groovers – Habia MD’s exit Beauty spots – register for nail technicians Column – Marie Jennings on the battle young people face to get into hairdressing Federation Focus – new website benefit for members Case confidential – a helpline call resolved Events – key dates for your diary (including Britain’s Best) @nhfederation – all the online gossip and tweets

PAGE 4 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

Front cover Hair: Damien Carney Colour: Sue Pemberton Wardrobe: Nikko Kefalas Make-up: Walter Obal Photographer: Hama Sanders Creative director: Joseph Suarez

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.

Material for consideration in this section of the magazine should be submitted on CDROM as high resolution jpeg or tiff files to The Editor, SalonFocus. Submissions should be made on the understanding that the National Hairdressers’ Federation has the right to use the material in any part of the magazine and any of its other publications, promotions or website, free from any copyright restrictions, or appearance fees other than the issue of artistic and photographic credits where applicable. Please include salon name, photographer & stylist.

NEWS

Colour ‘record card’ to offer more flexibility on allergy testing

COLOURING: NEW RECORD CARD FOR SALONS

NHF salons and barber shops are being encouraged to make full use of a landmark new allergy alert colour “record card” developed by the Federation and other leading hairdressing industry bodies that offers stylists greater flexibility as to when, or even whether, they need to carry out an allergy alert test pre-colouring.

The Allergy Alert Consultation and Colour Record Card was launched in September and is the culmination of months of work by the NHF and the

Freelance Hair & Beauty Federation (FHBF), working in consultation with the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA).

The move is also being seen as a key way of communicating to clients why having an allergy alert test 48 hours before colouring, something many salons say clients find irritating, is such an important health and safety safeguard.

Last year, NHF immediate past president and celebrity colourist Mark Coray was the figurehead of high-level consumer PR campaign, Colour with Confidence, led by the CTPA, to drive home to the public the message that allergy alert testing was a vital protection.

The Allergy Alert Consultation and Colour Record Card will allow stylists to keep a clear record of a client’s colour history, allowing them to gauge whether, when they next make a colour appointment, they need an allergy alert test 48 hours beforehand or if it is safe for a treatment to go ahead without a test.

The card can be used by salons insured by Coversure Insurance Services, the NHF’s preferred insurance broker and broker Just Hair Insurance, as well as freelancers or self-employed hairdressers specifically covered via the FHBF’s members’ insurance policy.

The card simply gives a clearer picture of a client’s test history and in what circumstances a test may not be needed.

So, for example, for a loyal, repeat client who has visited the salon very recently it may be that a test is not required. Conversely, a client may have visited recently but, the card will show, is now due for their annual allergy alert test.

Mark Coray described the card as “a major advance for our industry”.

“It will not only give peace of mind to salons that they are doing the right thing by their clients when it comes to colouring but, we believe, will show clients very clearly why regular allergy alert testing is so important,” he said.

The cards come in packs of 100 (including a set of guidelines) and are free of charge, apart from £4.50 postage, for NHF members. They can be bought through the online shop, at www.nhf. info or via phone, on 0845 345 6500.

A series of workshops are being held around the country during November to introduce members to the cards and how they work. Full details can be found online or on Events, page 33.

• The Allergy Alert Consultation and Colour Record Card: your questions answered, page 22

New EU safety laws on hold – at least for now The European Commission (EC) has decided not to press ahead with proposed health and safety reforms that it had been feared could have cost the industry as much as £75m a year.

But the NHF, while warmly welcoming the move, has warned it does not necessarily mean the proposals have gone away for good.

The decision was taken by the EC in October as part of a wider initiative to curb red tape.

It means it will not be taking forward proposals by EU Coiffure and UNI Europa Hair & Beauty that could have banned salon staff from wearing high heels, required them to wear elbow-

www.nhf.info

length gloves when washing hair and limited the amount of time they could spend with clients on the salon floor.

Last year the Health and Safety Executive calculated that the proposals, if enacted to the full, could have cost UK hairdressing salons and barbers as much as £75m a year (SalonFocus, July/August 2012).

However, the NHF has cautioned the industry not to assume as a result the proposals are now dead and buried.

The EC has said it will instead carry out “impact assessments” to gauge the cost of introducing such laws in the UK and elsewhere.

These are likely to take place early

next year and therefore it is possible the proposals, or a version of them, could yet be resurrected.

Nevertheless, NHF immediate past president Mark Coray, who led the NHF’s delegation to Brussels, welcomed the decision to pause the process.

“The European Commission’s decision is a huge relief for the UK industry. The additional spending on health and safety as outlined in these proposals was disproportionate to the benefits gained, especially for small businesses.

“UK salons can now get on with doing what they do best: providing an excellent, safe service for their clients,” he said.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 5

NEWS

‘Together we can achieve great – even greater – things’ In his first conference address as national president, Paul Curry set out his vision for a new NHF, one more engaged with grass-roots members, which emphasises real value for money in tough times and is recognised as a ‘kitemark’ for quality by the general public. The following is an abridged version of his speech.

Welcome conference. I am very pleased to be standing before you as your new national president, and today I am going to speak about my vision for a new National Hairdressers’ Federation.

Our members’ survey over the summer highlighted that the Federation is much loved and appreciated. The contribution our industry makes to the British economy is enormous; we generate more than £5bn of revenue and it is estimated there are around 35,000 UK hair and beauty salons employing more than 250,000 people between them. We are a major economic force, and we should recognise that. Yet, while our Federation and our industry have come a long way, the past year has been a challenging one.

The NHF has seen a decline in membership in recent times. We shouldn’t panic about this; we are still the biggest trade association in our industry but, obviously, it is something we need to respond to as a matter of urgency.

Our sector and industry is energetic, youthful, creative and fast-changing. We need to drive home at every opportunity the message about the exceptional value for money NHF membership represents. We need to be exploring new and different ways of delivering value, of communicating with and getting to know our members better. We need to reiterate and emphasise that the question salon owners should be asking is not “can I afford to be a member of the Federation” but “can I afford not to be a member of the Federation”.

How can we do this? Reading the results from our members’ survey I was struck by the willingness of members to roll up their sleeves and get involved, whether committing their time to sitting on working groups, organising events, speaking to the media or writing blogs.

The fact, too, a very high proportion said they would be “very likely” to recommend NHF membership to a fellow salon

PAGE 6 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

member is, to my mind, hugely positive and important for the future.

What this tells me is that the appetite is there; it’s now up to us to go out there and engage with, speak to and encourage members to step forward. We also need to be doing more to get our existing members involved and enthused; getting

‘We need to be exploring new and different ways of delivering value, of communicating with and getting to know our members better. We need to emphasise that the question salon owners should be asking is not “can I afford to be a member of the Federation” but “can I afford not to be “a member”.’ regions, networks and branches more active. One of my priorities as national president will be to get out and about around the regions and branches; to speak to and learn from members. Just as importantly, we need to be ensuring people who do come forward and want to help feel welcomed.

I would like to see the Federation working more closely with other industry bodies, championing and leading debate and change. Our education expert reference group, which met in the summer for the first time, is a great case in point. I’d also like to see the Federation working more closely with the Hairdressing Council around mandatory

PAUL CURRY WITH NEW HONORARY TREASURER ROY SPARKES AT CONFERENCE

registration, something I believe has real potential to give hairdressing a more professional and reputable image.

Ideally I would like to see a strong move towards mandatory registration within the next three years. I would like us to be working more to promote our profile and reputation to the general public.

Some salons do proudly display their NHF stickers in their windows, and that’s great – but what does “NHF” say, if anything, to most members of the public? The NHF “brand”, which could be a strong, publicly recognisable stamp of approval for salons, is not being used to its full potential.

Our strength as a Federation is our numbers, our experience and our knowledge. Our weakness is that, too often, we look inwards rather than raise our sights to what we can really achieve.

For me this new Federation needs to be, in truth, not radically different from what we have already – there’s a lot the NHF in its history and its achievements can, quite rightly, be very proud of. But we can’t carry on imagining everything will, somehow, come right of its own accord. We have to accept that, even if the economic outlook is improving, things are likely to remain tough and therefore the value and benefit that comes from being an NHF salon, from being part of the NHF “family”, will need to be something actively sold and promoted to would-be members.

The NHF does not need a revolution but it does need regenerating; and that can only come through new members, new ideas and new energy. Long-standing members, new, young entrepreneurs and veterans of the high street – the NHF is for every salon owner and needs to be seen to be such. Together we can achieve great – even greater – things.

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NEWS

Industry on possible collision course with politicians over minimum wage The national minimum wage (NMW) may have gone up last month, but NHF members are adamant it now needs to be left frozen, arguing that, in a labourintensive industry such as hairdressing, wage pressures are tough enough.

Against a backdrop of political and public debate about wages the NHF carried out a poll of members over the autumn as part of its latest submission to the Low Pay Commission (LPC), the body that recommends to government the rate at which the NMW should be set in future.

This found more than three quarters of members – 76.5 per cent – want to see the adult rate left as it is, with an even higher percentage – 82.6 per cent – wanting the apprentices’ rate also frozen.

More than two thirds want the government to change the current one-year limit on over-19s getting the apprentices’ NMW before moving on to the higher adult rate, an anomaly members have highlighted simply means potentially talented older trainees cannot get a foot in the door of the industry.

Last April the government overruled the LPC, which had recommended the apprentices’ NMW be kept unchanged this year, and instead went ahead with the 3p rise that came into force last month (see panel).

However, there does appear to be a danger of the industry swimming against a growing tide of political opinion about the NMW. Debate around low pay, job insecurity, living standards, a living wage and zerohour contracts dominated much of this autumn’s party political conference season – meaning these are likely to be key themes of the 2015 General Election.

In September, for example, Labour leader Ed Miliband pledged a future Labour government would, if anything, seek to accelerate increases in the NMW. The party is also thought to be looking at the possibility of enforcing a higher rate for some specific industries, for example financial services.

The Conservatives, too, according to an investigation by the BBC’s

PAGE 8 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

£

MINIMUM

WAGE

Newsnight programme, are also understood to be looking at ways of increasing the adult rate.

Other options believed to be under debate include offering tax breaks to companies that pay at a level higher than the minimum and the feasibility of making the wage more industry- or sector-based, so requiring companies above a certain size or profit level to pay a higher NMW. As part of its deliberations for the 2014 rate, the LPC during the autumn met businesses around the country, including hair salons, visiting Lincoln, Boston, Northern Ireland, Perth and Dundee.

In its submission to the LPC, the NHF made clear how strongly salons felt about the NMW, especially how constant increases simply eroded pay differentials between junior and more senior staff.

The members’ poll found two thirds – 67.4 per cent – agreed the wage had narrowed the pay gap between junior and senior staff.

As one member who responded to the survey put it: “My senior staff have spent years building their client base and the money they bring in carries the junior staff. However, NMW means there is only a token difference in wages.”

Another said: “I find it difficult to pay my senior staff what they deserve as the trainees get so much. Older staff members who bring in the money resent the younger staff.”

On the apprentices’ NMW and over-

19s, another salon owner made the point: “It penalises this age group, who are often the most appropriate employees.”

Others described it as “ageist”, leaving over-19s discriminated against before they even started.

“As a result of this rule we look to employ 16- and 17-year olds. We don’t recruit people 19 and over, it’s too expensive,” conceded one.

“If you take on a trainee who is 19 it means after one year they are on the same wage as a stylist who is bringing money into the salon,” complained another.

A further key area for concern raised by the NHF was enforcement. The government in October signalled it was going to step up “naming and shaming” of businesses that consistently fail to pay the wage. Last year a hairdresser in Leicester (not an NHF member) was the first to be named in this way.

While, on a positive note, the survey found nearly 95 per cent of members felt confident of the NMW rules and how to apply them, the poll also identified widespread ignorance among salon owners about the so-called “accommodation offset” that is part of the wage.

Under the terms of the offset, accommodation provided by an employer can be taken into account when calculating the wage, up to a total of £4.91 a day or £34.37 a week.

However, if an employer charges

NEWS

HAIRCLIPS

Do you think the National Minimum Wage for adults should be increased? percentage Yes

23.5%

No

76.5%

Do you think the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices should be increased? percentage Yes

17.4%

No

82.6%

Do you think the one-year time limit on the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices aged over 19 should be changed? percentage Yes

66.5%

No

33.5%

NICE EARNER?

Some councils are making more from car parking charges and school meals than from council tax, research by the spending watchdog the Audit Commission has found. One in three councils, and one in five London boroughs, earned more in this way in 2011/12 than they brought in from council tax, it said.

HABB REMINDER

Hair and Beauty Benevolent (HABB), the charity that supports hair and beauty professionals in need, is urging salons to get full-square behind its work in the run-up to Christmas. Many salons, and many NHF members, already support the charity but HABB is encouraging those that do not to consider making a donation or setting up a collecting box in their salon.

More information about donating or running a fund-raising event can be found at www.habb.org.

CAREERS CRITICISM Have increases in the National Minimum Wage led to smaller gaps in pay between your junior and senior staff? percentage Yes

67.4%

No

32.6%

offender, children’s care, on 43 per cent. more than this, the difference is taken The NHF is also pressing the LPC to off the worker’s pay. This means the work with HM Revenue & Customs to higher the accommodation charge, the investigate cut-price barber shops, amid lower a worker’s pay when calculating reports that some, especially in London, the wage, and therefore the greater are offering cuts for as little as £5 and the risk an employer could fall foul of shaves for £6, raising suspicions they may paying a worker below the NMW, even be cutting corners on training, standards, inadvertently. safety and payment of tax. For more on Yet worryingly, nearly three-quarters this story, see @nhfederation on page 34. of members in the poll – 73.7 per cent – said they did not know about this.

More worrying still, research by the Department for Business, Innovation and National minimum wage Skills in October singled out hairdressing as the worst rates from October 1, 2013: industry for failing to pay apprentices their proper legal • Adult rate £6.31 an hour (up 12p) minimum wage.

• 18-20 year olds £5.03 an hour (up 5p) Its Apprenticeship Pay Survey suggested 69 per cent of • 16-17 year olds £3.72 an hour (up 4p) hairdressing apprentices were • Apprentice £2.68 an hour (up 3p) paid less than the NMW in 2012, up from 48 per cent in 2011, • Accommodation offset £4.91 a day (up 9p) far in excess of the next worst

www.nhf.info

Children are still being failed by careers guidance in schools, according to a report by schools inspector Ofsted. Since September 2012 schools have had the legal responsibility to provide careers advice to students aged 14-16, but the study found schools by and large failed to work closely with local employers and did not promote vocational training or apprenticeships as much as going on to sixth form or doing A Levels.

SYRINGE ADVICE

The health watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is updating its guidance on the safe use of needles and syringes. The guidance is primarily aimed at preventing the spread of diseases among drug users and people who inject anabolic steroids, but NICE has also highlighted the potential for infection from the growing popularity of injectable dermal fillers and Botox, both at home and through salons. The guidance, which emphasises the use of sterile needles and safe disposal, has now gone out for consultation and is expected to be published next March.

START-UP UK

Research by beauty giant L’Oréal has suggested Britain is a nation of wouldbe entrepreneurs, with more than a quarter of employees believing they are sitting on an idea for a start-up business. However nearly nine out of 10 of those polled also said they felt uninspired by their boss.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 9

NEWS

Warning of stiff penalties for those who ignore new cosmetics rules

by Andrew Don Salon owners who fail to get to grips with the new European Cosmetics Regulation that came into effect in July are at risk of hefty penalties and prison, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has warned.

And worryingly for the industry, the NHF’s immediate past president Mark Coray has estimated around three quarters of micro hairdressing businesses do not know about the new requirements.

To this end SalonFocus has been working with the Cosmetic Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA) clearly to communicate salon owners’ new responsibilities under the Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, which replaced the Cosmetics Directive 76/768 EEC this summer.

The CTPA says the main principle of the old directive – consumer safety – has not changed.

DR EMMA MEREDITH: GUIDANCE

It means every cosmetic product must still have undergone a robust safety assessment by a qualified safety assessor before the product is placed on the shelf or used in a salon, although the way this should be done has been made clearer.

However, as SalonFocus reported in its last edition (News, September/October 2013) one important new requirement is that salon owners must report to BIS any “serious undesirable effects” (SUEs) caused by exposure to the product.

These are what the European Commission’s (EC) SUE Reporting

PAGE 10 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

Guidelines describe as “temporary or permanent functional incapacity, disability, hospitalisation, congenital anomalies or an immediate vital risk or death”.

Dr Emma Meredith, CTPA head of scientific and technical services, explained that the new requirement only affects products clients have bought from salons, or those given away as a sample, and when they return to report what has happened.

She stressed that, if a reaction occurred from using products during an in-salon hair treatment, the salon owner should, as before, inform the manufacturer.

Dr Meredith told SalonFocus: “If a client tells you they have experienced a reaction to a product they bought from your salon and it is a SUE, according to the legal definition, you must report certain information to BIS within 20 days.”

She said salon owners must, “as a minimum”, identify the person affected, the nature of the alleged SUE, the date of onset and cosmetic product involved and send details to SeriousUndesirableEffects@ bis.gsi.gov.uk.

However, it must also be determined if the SUE is attributable to the product claimed to have caused it.

This requires what is known as a “causality assessment” to be carried out. According to Dr Meredith, this was likely to take longer than 20 days, and would require the manufacturer’s input.

“It is highly recommended that you contact the manufacturer... who will know exactly how to report the SUE and they will provide you with assistance in gathering all of the necessary information and in the reporting,” she said.

This would not over-ride the legal obligation of the salon to report any SUEs, “but the manufacturer would know the product more and be able to help with the causality assessment”, she added.

In a separate development, Salon Success, UK distributor for Paul

Mitchell, has thanked salons for their “prompt help and support” after “a small number of sensitivity issues” on its XG Processing Creams.

Authorities in Germany lodged a RAPEX alert on June 21 for the hair treatment products on the basis that they “pose a chemical risk because intolerance and allergic reactions have arisen in connection with the introduction of new fragrances”.

The alert added that the product did not comply with the Cosmetics Directive in force at the time, the one that has now been updated.

Simon Tickler, managing director of Salon Success, told SalonFocus, the distributor had taken the precautionary step of voluntarily recalling all XG Processing Creams across all markets at the end of May, well before the RAPEX alert was issued.

“Unfortunately, allergic reactions can occasionally occur, even with products that comply with legislation,” he conceded.

Simon said John Paul DeJoria, joint founder, felt “even one complaint was too many” and Salon Success immediately contacted all salons to replace the product, “ensuring that very few were used in the UK”.

He added: “We would like to thank our salons for their prompt help and support in this matter.”

It was after the voluntary withdrawal and replacement that the German authorities chose to lodge the RAPEX report, he stressed.

The same RAPEX report included an alert for four different batches of KeraHair – Premier Brazilian Keratin System, which were compulsorily withdrawn from the market because of illegal quantities of formaldehyde.

SalonFocus contacted supplier BioNaza Cosmetics for comment, but no one responded.

NEWS

More salons closed than opened in first half of the year, warns report of rates, which last autumn it A snapshot of 500 UK town centres has postponed for two years and which, highlighted the deeply challenging many businesses hope, will lead to climate hairdressing salons and a reduction in rates because the last barber shops continue to face, with time they were set was in 2008, at the the industry doing better than some height of the property boom. sectors but nevertheless seeing more Chief executive Hilary Hall outlets closing than opening in the first said the NHF was calling for a half of the year. comprehensive review of business The report by consultancy PwC and rates to ensure they were better the Local Data Company in September balanced between town centre, outanalysed store openings and closures of-town and online retailers. between January and June.

In September major salon chains For hairdressing, barbering and such as RUSH, HOB and Toni&Guy beauty, it recorded an overall 5.8 per joined calls by the retailer Sainsbury’s cent decline in hair and beauty salons and think-tank Policy Exchange for a (from 174 outlets to 164) and a 2.9 per freeze in business rates (SalonFocus, cent decline in the number of barbers September/October 2013). (from 35 to 34), while hairdressers The problems faced by salons (down 0.8 per cent) and beauty salons around parking and local bureaucracy (unchanged) stayed by and large static. have been highlighted by the Its findings to an extent counter somewhat bizarre case of a salon claims that the high street is at risk of in Dorset that claims its trade is becoming awash with cut-price salons. being blighted by a huge yellow bus However, the relatively robust regularly parking outside its premises rate of openings (3.5 per cent for THE HIGH STREET: SALONS ARE UNDER PRESSURE and completely blocking it from the hairdressers equating to 22 new view of passing trade. outlets, 3.4 per cent or 16 new shops Ryan Locket, owner of Beau Hair & Beauty in Westbourne, for hair and beauty and 2.9 per cent or two outlets for barbers) told SalonFocus the situation was a “nightmare”, compounded by did appear to be evidence of the continuing popularity of the the fact both the local council and bus company were passing industry for entrepreneurs and start-ups, irrespective of whether the buck about who should take responsibility for the issue. they then survive.

The bus, the length of several shop units, blocks the salon’s The health of the high street frontage, making it invisible to passing traffic and pedestrians looks set to become a key political battleground in the run-up to the next on the other side of the road, and stops outside the salon for 10 minutes every half an hour.

General Election, with business rates “We are very busy but we’ve in particular in the spotlight. had a few people who have said Labour leader Ed Miliband in they don’t know where we are.

September pledged that a future They drive past there every day Labour government would freeze gas but all they can see is a bus,” and electricity bills for every UK home Ryan complained. and business for 20 months and help Richard Barnes, transport small businesses by freezing business manager at Bournemouth rates in England.

The NHF, meanwhile, in September Borough Council, said it had spoken to the bus company, gave its support to a review of the ED MILIBAND: CALL ON RATES high street carried out by veteran Yellow Buses, but it was retailer Bill Grimsey, which called for an overhaul of business ultimately up to the company rates and more free parking provision. how it chose to operate its Among a range of recommendations, the Grimsey Review service. said local authorities should be required to freeze car-parking But Jenni Wilkinson, head charges for a minimum of 12 months and two-hour free parking of marketing at Yellow Buses, periods should be introduced for high streets and town centres said the position of the stop was to make it easier for people to shop. decided by the local authority PARKING WOE: The report also urged the government to freeze business and it was vital to the reliability of THE DORSET YELLOW BUS rates from next year and reinstate its proposed 2015 review the service.

www.nhf.info

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 11

NEWS

Is the unisex salon heading for the exit?

MOVERS &GROOVERS HABIA EXIT

One of barbering’s leading innovators has controversially predicted the demise of the unisex salon.

Mus Ismail, founder of Ted’s Grooming Room, a joint venture between fashion retail giant Ted Baker and Efes Barbers, has forecast that traditional barbers and unisex salons could gradually be replaced by more upmarket generic men’s salons and ladies’ salons.

Ted’s Grooming Room has five central London sites, including the exclusive appointment-only Ottoman Lounge in Holborn, and specialises in the skills of Turkish barbers, many of whom have learned their craft in Turkey since the age of 11 over many years.

Mus said the old image of barbers as “run-down corner shops with a couple of old guys cutting hair” was rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

“Barber shops are now cool. Unisex isn’t cool. We trained from 11-12 years old in Turkey. It takes six to seven years to train. You can imagine how comfortable we are holding a blade to your face,” he added.

The chain is currently negotiating on a possible sixth site, OTTOMAN LOUNGE: UPMARKET in Covent Garden, and hoping to open outlets in New York and Las Vegas.

The men’s market is now well recognised as one of the key growth sectors for the industry, with barbering

PAGE 12 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

recently becoming a recognised category in its own right for the purposes of registration with the Hairdressing Council (SalonFocus, July/August 2013).

The likes of Headcase Barbers, Toni&Guy, The Barber Shop Group, RUSH, Saks, HOB and Regis have all recognised barbering as a dynamic, specialist market.

Lush Cosmetics, the £330m turnover business, is among the latest believed to be getting in on the act, and is thought to be negotiating to open a barber shop as part of a new format, featuring a spa and perfume factory at the Quadrant Arcade in London’s Regent Street.

Spa group Cowshed, too, intends to open what it is calling a “barber and parlour” for both men and women at its spa at Shoreditch House in east London.

Numerous surveys have also demonstrated men’s desire to be wellgroomed. A poll by haircare company Fabria.com, for example, has indicated the lucrative opportunities for men’s salons to retail products.

It found nearly two thirds – 65 per cent – of those polled admitted to having owned at least eight items at any given time including oils, heat spray, hairspray and styling putty.

And, according to market researcher Mintel, sales of men’s beauty and grooming products have increased by 12 per cent since 2007.

Six years ago the market for madefor-men goods was valued at £512m, but this had risen to £574m last year, and is expected to grow by a further six per cent by 2017, it added.

Grooming products were regularly bought by 70 per cent of men, with 40 per cent opting for moisturiser. Hand, nail and haircare products were also popular, it found.

The managing director of sector skills council Habia, Rob Young, left the organisation in August, after just 10 months in the role. Habia said his decision to leave was “mutually agreed”. Rob, it added, “was appointed as Habia went through a period of transition, restructuring as part of an ongoing merger with SkillsActive. During that time, various functions and departments of both organisations have been integrated more closely.”

PERSONAL PORTAL

Celebrity stylist Paul Edmonds has launched a new personal portal for clients to use pre- and post-appointments to check their appointment history, make online bookings, review their purchases and look at product recommendations. The “MyPE” portal sits within the PaulEdmonds. com e-commerce website.

KARINE LANDMARK

Celebrity stylist and NHF member Karine Jackson celebrated her 10th anniversary as an independent retailer in the summer with a party for clients, industry and the press.

The former London Hairdresser of the Year and noted organic colourist held an invitation-only party to celebrate the event on August 28, including a model show featuring new colour techniques and trends.

LUCK OF THE DRAW

Congratulations to lucky hairdresser Alan Purvis, owner of Alan Purvis Hair in Alcester, Warwickshire, who entered an online competition in August and ended up winning a £70,000 F Type Jaguar car.

Alan, who entered the competition run by the Best of the Best’s website, described himself as “over the moon”.

STAYING POWER

A hair salon celebrated its 75th anniversary in August. Vogue Hair and Wigs in Macclesfield was established by stylist Bradshaw Knight and his wife Marion in 1938. Although Bradshaw was killed serving in the RAF during World War Two, Marion kept it going until it was taken over by her son Michael, whose wife Rita, in turn, took it over from him after he fell ill with Parkinson’s disease.

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NEWS

Salons urged to review fire BEAUTY risk in wake of tragedy SPOTS Salon owners are being reminded to carry out regular risk assessments to protect their businesses from fire, as fires in salons can rapidly escalate out of control because of all the potentially inflammable product and furniture normally kept on-site.

The warning from Stephen Thomas, a safety technical consultant at the NHF’s Legal FIREFIGHTERS AT WORK: SALON FIRES CAN Lifeline operator QUICKLY ESCALATE Croner, has been have substituted “less harmful types” made in the wake to reduce both the fire and health and of a tragic blaze at safety exposure risk to employees and Paul’s Hair & Beauty STEPHEN THOMAS: customers, he said.

World in Manchester WARNING The NHF provides comprehensive over the summer, which advice about health and safety, including claimed the life of a firefighter, Stephen fire, and salons’ responsibilities.

Hunt.

This includes: A Guide to Health & Greater Manchester Fire and Safety of Salon Hair Products; A Short Guide Rescue Service told SalonFocus its to Making your Premises Safe from Fire; investigation into the blaze at the Employee Health & Safety Handbook and business, which sells hair and beauty COSHH: a brief guide to the regulations. supplies to both the trade and the public, These are all available from the NHF’s could take years. online shop, http://members.nhf.info/ A spokesman said the blaze was nhf-shop/. “extremely intense”. He added: “I’m sure The NHF’s preferred insurance you can put two and two together there, broker Coversure Insurance Services with tons of hairspray and peroxide. They agreed salons needed to be vigilant, but are very flammable.” reassured salons that fires, thankfully, Croner’s Stephen Thomas emphasised appear to be rare. it was not just Heidi Morton, administration chemicals and other manager, said she could remember only obvious materials that two fires in the past 13 years, and one of potentially put salons them had been from a lightning strike. at risk, but also tables, In the case of the other salon the fire pictures and mirrors. had been started by someone in the flat “It doesn’t take above drying clothes in front of a fire. long for any fire to escalate, get out of control and spread.

Croner advises salons to: If there is a lot of fire • Complete a fire risk assessment HEIDI MORTON: loading and then you and note your findings REASSURANCE add accelerants, such as highly flammable hair products or • Identify all of the combustibles aerosols, then you could easily get rapid and potential ignition sources in fire spread,” he advised. your salon “One key thing that stands out with • Put controls in place to hairdressing salons is the storage of manage risks, such as good highly flammable aerosols in a window housekeeping, safe storage for display or next to a mirror in direct procedures and security sunlight. Sunlight heats up the product and the rest is history,” he added.

• Ensure the person carrying out However, it could not be assumed all the fire risk assessment is up to salons had volatile product – some might the job of assessing the risks.

PAGE 14 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

NAILS REGISTER

A new register of qualified professional nail technicians was launched last month by sector skills council Habia. The Register of Nail Professionals, which will be voluntary, has been set up in response to police reports that the industry is a target for an illicit trade of trafficked workers

ACRYLIC ALLERGIES

The fashion for acrylic nails may be behind a rise in allergies being suffered by beauticians, the British Association of Dermatologists has argued. A team of researchers from Chapel Allerton Hospital examined cases of occupational allergic contact dermatitis suffered by beauticians from 1996 to 2011. Acrylate chemicals, such as those used in acrylic nails and eyelash extension glue, was the cause in 64 per cent of cases, significantly higher than the second most common allergen, fragrances, at 24 per cent, it said.

TATTOOING GUIDANCE

New health and safety guidance around tattooing and body piercing has been published by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. Currently there are no national standards for tattooing and body piercing, it pointed out, leading to the possibility of health risks, such as hepatitis B and HIV, arising from improper practice, particularly poor infection control.

BACK MASSAGE?

Hair and beauty salons offering massage and services to help with posture could be able to benefit from latest research from the British Chiropractic Association. This has argued almost a third of young people now suffer from chronic back pain as a result of increasingly sedentary lifestyles. A similar proportion said they had lived with the pain for up to a month at a time.

LONGER LOOKS

Beauty companies are responding to consumer demand for beauty products that last for longer, according to market researcher Mintel. A study of the colour cosmetics market found 45 per cent of make-up or nail polish launches during 2013 were focused on offering longerlasting colour and durability.

BEAUTY BUDGETS

The average woman spends more than £18,000 in her lifetime on make-up and skincare products, according to a poll by high street retailer Superdrug. More than £9,500 of this goes on make-up and more than £8,500 on cleansers, moisturisers and make-up removal products, it concluded.

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COLUMN

Generation gap?

Just how hard is it for young people to break into hairdressing these days? Salon owner Marie Jennings was horrified by the attitude of some salons when her daughter set off to follow in her footsteps.

I was only too pleased when my 16-year-old daughter, Scarlett, turned around and said she wanted to become a hairdresser. But her experience has shown me just how different – and difficult – getting into our industry is now compared to how it was when I started 20 years ago.

FINALLY IN THE INDUSTRY: SCARLETT (CENTRE) WITH FELLOW APPRENTICES

Back in the late 1980s when I left school I wrote letters to a number of local salons explaining I was hoping to become a fully qualified hairdresser and asking if they would consider training me.

I briefly noted my hobbies and my exam results. A few days later, either by letter or a phone call, I’d have an appointment for an interview in my diary. All in all, just from those letters, I had three interviews, all of whom said yes and I simply chose which one I wanted to join.

I was on £36 a week, which was £10 more than pupils on the government’s Youth Training Scheme (YTS) as it was then known, which made me feel I was very much on the “upmarket” side of the learning process!

Perks of the job I spent two years cleaning, washing hair and basically running around for the stylists doing the jobs they didn’t want to do, all excellent training looking back.

One perk was that sometimes you’d get a tip after washing a client’s hair, something that today is very rare as there are so many people involved in the salon the tea girl often gets forgotten.

It was agreed I could have a day release to go to college to ensure I had

PAGE 16 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

some proper training and, in the final year, I was eventually allowed to put into practice what I had learnt at college and become an actual stylist. I feel I’ve never looked back.

For Scarlett, however, things have been very different, whether as a result of the wider economic environment, the jobs’ climate here in Norwich, or just because of the way our industry has changed.

She had to go around almost every hairdresser in the city handing out her CV. This did, admittedly, lead to a number of interviews for apprenticeship vacancies. But many salons did not even bother to reply.

Trials and knock-backs Others asked her to come in and do a trial. On paper, of course, that’s understandable, but the reality was it meant she ended up working extremely hard and unpaid for a day with no guarantee of anything at the end of it.

On departure, she was always told they would let her know, though often they never did.

The fact Scarlett already had a whole year’s experience as a Saturday girl in a salon didn’t appear to make any difference, although it probably did give her more confidence when she actually came to completing her trials.

After waiting patiently for one salon to ring her back, my daughter eventually rang them.

The answer? The salon needed to run yet more trials, so they would call her when they had seen everyone and, no, they couldn’t give her an idea of when that would be!

At another salon, she ended up working for them for two days, again with no indication as to whether there was any work or an apprenticeship at the end of the process. In another she was even told she would have to do more than three days “on trial”.

I agree it is important trainees fit in and feel comfortable, but three days does begin to feel a little bit like exploitation and cheap labour.

Marie Jennings is owner of Marie’s Cuts in Norwich, Norfolk

A lot of the time Scarlett felt in limbo, waiting for phone calls and juggling trials with other trials. There were even times when she was unable to attend for a trial because she was already booked up for another trial!

Lack of opportunity What Scarlett’s experience has shown me is how the whole initial access into hairdressing, learning the art of hairdressing, is now so different and so very deeply competitive.

An apprenticeship in hairdressing is never a “soft” option – you’re always expected to work hard and there will be jobs that are tedious or unpleasant, but which you need to do to learn about life on the salon floor.

But the lack of opportunities nowadays for young people means employers have so much more scope to be picky.

In Scarlett’s case she has at last got an apprenticeship, although there is still no guarantee of a job after two years when her apprenticeship ends. But it is a start.

All in all, getting a foot in the industry proved to be a competitive and draining process; it may be worth us as salon owners recognising how different the situation is for many young people today compared with how it was for us.

Having said that, it is certainly true that making it so difficult for young people will separate the less enthusiastic from the serious and hard working.

There were times when Scarlett really did question whether she wanted to carry on trying to become a stylist.

I’m proud of the fact she persevered; she recognises what she has achieved even to get this far and has a deeper respect for the hairdressing industry as a result. What’s more, I’m sure this attitude and toughness will stand her in good stead in her career as a hairdresser, whatever future challenges this industry throws at her.

Competition

www.britainsbest.me

Remember, remember the 17th of November!

There are 11 competitions to enter across five categories: • Ladies fashion (senior and junior) • Men’s fashion (senior and junior) • Newcomer • British bride • Colour of the day Come and make a noise! Even if you don’t wish to compete, why not come and cheer along your favourites or just soak up the atmosphere at what is set to be an intense, pulsating day of passion, talent and drama.

Spectator tickets are still available, and will be on sale right up to the day as well as on the door on November 17. Tickets are just £5.

This year for the first time eight

of the floor competitions have been opened up to international as well as UK competitors, and will be judged by international as well as British judges.

So watch the best of Britain compete against the best of “the rest”!

The winners of the Britain’s Best ‘Click ‘n’ Send’ Head of the Year Photographic Competition and the Britain’s Best Text Vote Popularity Poll will also be announced in Birmingham on November 17, as will be the winner of the NHF’s Photographic Stylist of the Year competition.

So get yourself amongst the winners, and come and join us at the Birmingham Metropole!

The clock is ticking but there’s still time to get your entries in to this year’s Britain’s Best!

The deadline for the floor competition – November 8 – is approaching fast so you’ll need to hurry.

The competition, being held at the Birmingham Metropole Hotel, has already been proving popular. The quality of entries has been extremely high and numbers are already up on last year.

But there is still time to join in – and compete to be crowned as one of Britain’s best hairdressers!

Go to www.britainsbest.me for full details.

A word from our sponsor…

Meet Jamie Anyone coming to Britain’s Best will have an opportunity to meet British Hairdresser of the Year nominee and X Factor celebrity stylist Jamie Stevens.

Jamie will judging the floor competition as well as holding a Q&A session revealing the secrets of his success and all the behind-the-scenes gossip about what it’s like to be one of Britain’s most in-demand TV stylists! It’s not to be missed!

All the details can be found at www.britainsbest.me

This year Britain’s Best is proudly being sponsored by L’Oréal Professionnel.

L’Oréal Professionnel is one of the hairdressing industry’s leading educators, and supports the country’s most talented hairdressers through its academybased training.

Our courses are run in four academies across the UK and Ireland, including Central St Martin’s in London, as well as in many additional regional centres.

For more information contact 0161 834 9594, email intacademy@uk.loreal.com or contact your L’Oréal Professionnel account manager.

INSPIRED

Turning heads

The new TURNSTYLE Trend Collection for 2013, from JOICO Trend Collection

Hair: Damien Carney Colour: Sue Pemberton Wardrobe: Nikko Kefalas Make-up: Walter Obal Photographer: Hama Sanders Creative director: Joseph Suarez

PAGE 18 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

INSPIRED

www.nhf.info

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 19

INSPIRED

PAGE 20 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

INSPIRED

www.nhf.info

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 21

BUSINESS FOCUS

Allergy alert cards: your questions answered Salon owners can now use special colour ‘record cards’ to keep track of a client’s colour history. SalonFocus explains how they work.

What is the Allergy Alert Consultation and Colour Record Card?

The card has been developed by NHF, and the Freelance Hair & Beauty Federation (FHBF), in consultation with the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association.

Its aim is to give hairdressers and barbers confidence they are following best practice guidelines when it comes to colouring and allergy alert testing and, crucially, complying with the terms of insurance policies from selected brokers.

The card can be used by salons that have insurance in place with Coversure, the NHF’s preferred insurance broker, and broker Just Hair.

How does it work?

The first page of the card is split into six columns (see illustration), covering the date; whether a client has answered “yes/no” to the consultation questions; the colour brand; whether a base shade level or colour combination has been used; the stylist’s signature; and the client’s signature.

The second page incorporates a range of “yes/no” answers (or “stop” if a client is under-16) focused on an initial allergy alert test, a repeat test and an annual test.

The aim is that, by following the steps on the card as part of your client consultation, you will be able to determine if you can go ahead and colour that client’s hair immediately or if an allergy alert test needs to be carried out 48 hours prior to the colour treatment.

So, it means I can get away doing an allergy test?

Absolutely not. All the card is designed to do is show a salon a client’s allergy test history and the frequency with which they have been tested in the past.

The result of this may be to show that for, say, a loyal, repeat client who has been tested recently, an allergy alert test is not required ahead of this visit to the salon.

But, equally, it may show that a test is due, for example if it is a year or more since a client’s last test or if they have subsequently had a tattoo, permanent make-up or black henna temporary tattoo (all of which can cause a reaction to hair colourant).

THE ALLERGY ALERT CONSULTATION AND COLOUR RECORD CARD

The card includes a set of questions for a new client in the first column, while the second column includes questions for existing clients. If the answer to any of the questions is “yes”, an allergy alert test must be carried out. The test must be with the product to be used and carried out according to the manufacturers’ instructions. The final column records the date of the test and whether there was a reaction. Obviously, if there is a reaction then colour cannot be applied and the client should be advised to seek medical advice.

What about under-16s?

The card stresses “Stop” if the client answers that they are under 16. This is because permanent hair colourants, and some direct colours, are increasingly stipulating that they are not for use on children under that age.

This is not because of any safety issue but simply to ensure children do not use these products, as they might not pay attention to the warnings and instructions for use.

I’m with a different insurer, can I still use the cards?

If you use any other insurance broker it is imperative you check with them that the record card is approved by their underwriters.

Otherwise – if the card is not underwritten in this way – your insurance policy could be invalidated.

Salon owners also need to be clear that the use of “disclaimers” for clients to sign when they refuse to have an allergy alert test carried out, will not protect you from legal action if the client subsequently suffers an allergic reaction. without Moreover, you will not have cover from your insurance policy, although a disclaimer Join our workshops to find out more! will provide a useful record of the advice you The NHF will be running a series of have given your client. workshops during November at which members can find out more about When and from where are the cards, discuss their accompanying guidelines in greater depth and get they available? clear advice on how to use them safely The cards were officially launched in in their salons. The sessions will be led September.

by Mark Coray, the NHF’s immediate The cards come in packs of 100 plus a past president and one of only a set of guidelines for using the cards, free of handful of specialist L’Oréal Degree charge (£4.50 postage charge applies) from Colourists. the NHF through the online shop, at www. nhf.info, or over the phone, on 0845 345 Events will be held in Stirling, Leeds 6500. and Chelmsford. For full details, see The full text of the guidelines is available Events on page 33. online at www.nhf.info

PAGE 22 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

BUSINESS FOCUS

Don’t fall foul of advertising watchdog A complaint against an NHF member has highlighted how careful salons need to be when it comes to the wording of their advertisements and price promotions. SalonFocus investigates.

Salons are being warned to review the wording of their advertisements and price promotions after an NHF membersalon ended up being forced to change its whole pricing policy around colour treatments following a complaint that how it advertised such services had been potentially misleading.

The salon, which has asked to remain anonymous, was contacted by the Advertising Standards Authority after a member of the public complained that the prices it displayed for colour bookings were misleading because the salon had not made it clear such bookings also required either a cut and blow-dry or just a blow-dry, at an additional cost.

The salon offered to amend its promotional and pricing material, adding a clarification to the effect that clients making a colour booking would also need either the additional cut and blowdry or blow-dry.

Risk of investigation

But the ASA was adamant that, under its Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code, attaching a qualifying note to an advertisement may not in itself be enough to stop an advertisement falling foul of the code, and therefore could still prompt an investigation.

“Your qualifying note will contradict your price statements, as your advertised prices do not disclose non-optional fees.

The CAP code states, ‘Qualifications may clarify but must not contradict the claims that they qualify’,” the ASA investigations team said.

The wider worry of this for salons is that it is relatively common practice within the industry to incorporate additional elements into services, and therefore if a salon’s pricing literature is

PAGE 24 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

not completely clear it could be at risk of falling foul of the code.

Sleepless nights

As the salon owner complained in his correspondence to the ASA, which has been seen (with his permission)

by SalonFocus: “I have looked at my competitors’ websites, both locally and nationally – the whole industry is pricing their advertising like ours. It feels very bullish that we, as a very small fish, are being told to change our advertising when everyone else in the industry is not.

Also the deadline is causing me sleepless nights.”

But, the ASA replied, even if a practice is commonplace within the industry this is no defence, as it is duty-bound to investigate complaints on a case-by-case basis.

It stated: “Unfortunately it is your advertising that we have received a complaint about and we must act upon it.”

As a result, the salon owner decided he had no option but to change the salon’s policy towards colouring services.

He said: “We have now decided to change company policy and clients can now have a colour treatment without either a blow-dry or cut and blow-dry if they so desire. The advertised prices are therefore correct.”

This move, finally, the ASA agreed to, and as a result the case was closed.

But the saga has nevertheless highlighted the need for salons to be completely transparent in sales, promotional, advertising and marketing material what each procedure they offer costs and what is included in the price.

SALON STYLING: PRICING MUST BE CLEAR

What CAP code says The CAP emphasises that price statements “must not mislead by omission, undue emphasis or distortion. They must relate to the product featured in the marketing communication.”

All quoted prices, it adds, “must include non-optional taxes, duties, fees and charges that apply to all or most buyers”.

If the price of one product or service depends on another, then the “marketing communications must make clear the extent of the commitment the consumer must make to obtain the advertised price”.

Price claims, it says, that include terms such as “up to” or “from” must not “exaggerate the availability or amount of benefits likely to be obtained by the consumer”.

Finally, marketing communications “must state significant limitations and qualifications”. Yet, such qualifications “may clarify but must not contradict the claims that they qualify”. Any qualifications must also “be presented clearly”, it adds.

The full CAP code can be found at: http://www.cap.org.uk/AdvertisingCodes/Non-broadcast-HTML/Section3-Misleading-advertising.aspx

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TOOLBOX: RELATIONSHIPS

Family fortunes

Offering childcare vouchers can reward staff without putting pressure on wages, as Keith Hunter has found.

How the vouchers work • Childcare vouchers were launched by the government in 1998 and allow employees to pay for childcare from pre-tax salary, meaning each voucher saves them tax and national insurance contributions (NICs).

• Vouchers can be put towards the cost of childcare for children aged up to 15, but only for registered or regulated childcare, in other words a nursery, playgroup, nanny, childminder or equivalent.

CHILDCARE: VOUCHERS CAN HELP, BUT ONLY WITH REGISTERED CARE

My partner Sandra and I run two salons, Fusion Hairdressing in Stonehaven and Biyoni in Aberdeen, under the business name New Image Hair Design.

Sandra’s been in the industry some 20 years and in the past six years we have expanded quite rapidly, which has been great. In fact we now employ 22 people, many quite young and quite a few of whom have young kids.

That was one reason why 18 months ago we began to look into the pros and cons of offering our staff childcare vouchers, using provider Computershare Voucher Service (www. computersharevoucherservices.com), though there are others.

In a people-intensive business such as hairdressing, it makes sense always to be looking at ways of improving the benefits you offer.

Rewarding staff

The great thing about childcare vouchers is you can do it without spending a fortune, and it’s a way of “rewarding” staff that is not just giving them more money.

We’ve so far got three employees who have taken them up to help with nursery or childcare costs, which in itself isn’t a huge take-up, but we strongly believe sends a message to Keith Hunter is all our staff that a director of New we are trying Image Hair Design in to go the extra Stonehaven mile for them.

PAGE 26 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

When we introduced them we did have to do some communication around how they worked because none of our staff knew anything about them.

You, for example, have to explain you can only use them for registered childcare, not if your mum or dad is just looking after the child.

Be clear on limits

It’s also important to explain how the salary sacrifice element works, in particular ensuring people don’t inadvertently slip beneath the national minimum wage.

Also it really only works for full-time staff as part-time employees probably won’t be paying enough tax to make it viable.

It was pretty straightforward to set up – we registered with Computershare and then people simply apply through its website, which includes a lot of explanation about how it all works.

It’s also not difficult to administer; it probably takes us 15-20 minutes a month, again through the Computershare website.

For employees, the savings you can make, often £30 to £40 a month, can be quite substantial and can really make a difference on what can be a big monthly expense, especially if you don’t have parents to fall back on.

Equally importantly, it can mean someone who might otherwise have felt they had no option financially but to stay at home after having a child being able to come back to work.

That means you, as the salon owner, will not only be hanging on to someone you value, you will not be having to go to the hassle and expense of recruiting and training up someone new. And that’s of huge value to everyone.

• The employee “sacrifices” some of their gross salary in exchange for vouchers. Basic rate taxpayers can currently sacrifice up to £55 a week towards vouchers (it is lower for higher or top rate taxpayers), or £243 a month. This portion of their salary then becomes exempt from tax or NICs, thereby potentially saving each parent up to £933 a year.

• There is also a saving for employers, in that the vouchers are exempt from employer NI. This means it is possible to save £402 a year in reduced NICs for each participating employee.

• It needs to be clearly communicated that employees cannot sacrifice so much that it takes them below the national minimum wage. It also needs to be explained that sacrificing salary may have an impact on other elements of their finances, for example pension contributions, maternity pay or the amount of childcare tax credits they get.

• Along with individual providers, the Childcare Voucher Providers Association www.cvpa.org.uk is a useful source of information for employers on this issue.

But don’t delay.....

At the moment childcare vouchers can only be offered through an employer scheme.

But from late 2015 this is set to change with the introduction of a new tax-free childcare scheme, under which eligible families will get 20 per cent of their yearly childcare costs paid for by the government, up to a maximum of £1,200 per child.

A consultation on the plans was held during the autumn and, as far as it is clear, existing childcare voucher schemes will run alongside the new scheme, but no new schemes will be able to be set up once it is up and running.

RECOMMEND A FRIEND GET £25 EACH *

• Recommend a Friend and you will get a £25 voucher and your friend will get £25 off their membership • The friend will have to quote your membership number and RAF Advert to receive the offer.

For further information on Recommend a Friend Campaign visit:

www.nhf.info/recommend

or call one of our membership team on:

0845 345 6500

One Abbey Court | Fraser Road | Priory Business Park Bedford | MK44 3WH

t: 0845 345 6500 or 01234 831965 e: enquiries@nhf.info

www.nhf.info

TOOLBOX: EQUIPMENT

Making money mobile The days of static, landline-based card payment processing systems appear to be numbered as salons increasingly look for more flexible and mobile options, as SalonFocus finds out.

With the Bank of England introducing plastic banknotes from 2016 it’s safe to say soon even the very smallest salons will be accepting plastic. But, levity aside, increasingly clients do expect to be able to pay by card, however small the transaction or salon.

As Chris Davies, managing director of Global Payments argues, salons that cannot take card payments in this day and age are likely to lose business as a result.

“In addition, cash has an invisible but heavy cost: in banking, security and even the complications of tracking cashflow through the business.

As many salon owners will know, cash payments are sadly also very susceptible to fraud and theft,” he says.

“Many consumers are using cash less often, sometimes CHRIS DAVIES: CONTINUING because they forget SHIFT FROM CASH to draw out enough or don’t visit an ATM at all. Therefore it will be more convenient for them to pay by card, and also easier to ‘up-sell’ services to them, so smaller salons should ensure this option is available,” agrees Jayadeep Nair, vice-president of small business and new markets at provider Streamline.

Traditionally the barriers for salons when it comes to accepting card payment have been cost and complexity.

But, argue providers, this is changing. The march of technology is also changing how and where in a salon you can take or process payment.

Mobile terminals

“New technology is opening up card payments for smaller salons, and even mobile hairdressers, thanks to the rise of sophisticated internet-enabled smartphones. With a small, inexpensive card reader and downloadable app the device can be turned into a chip and PIN-compliant card terminal,” says Global Payments’ Chris Davies.

PAGE 28 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

“The reader ‘talks’ to the phone through a Bluetooth connection and the cardholder enters their PIN on the device.

The cardholder’s details are kept as safe as a regular terminal. As the salon owner effectively supplies their own terminal, this instantly cuts the rental costs they can find prohibitive,” he adds.

Such systems normally require an upfront investment in a card reader with PIN pad (usually around £49) and then incur fees of around 2.75 per cent per transaction, he points out.

“Many salon owners have identified the need for portable terminals as they can bring the machine to the chair or simply pass to the client. Salons like Toni&Guy use us because our service reflects their key priorities, namely reliable, competitive and fees that stack up,” says David Maisey, managing director at provider Chip & PIN Solutions.

Innovations such as contactless payment and payment via mobile are still in their infancy – and in the case of contactless, the current £20 limit does put it below the threshold of most salon transactions.

But Streamline’s Jayadeep Nair forecasts its use within the industry will nevertheless grow.

The company’s own research has shown that in September 2012 there were just 52 contactless transactions carried out in hairdressers, barbers and beauticians. In August this year, by comparison, there were 508, still a small number in the overall scheme of things, but nevertheless increasing rapidly.

MOBILE TERMINAL: OFFERS FLEXIBILITY

precisely what your salon needs. Just because the technology is available does not necessarily mean it will be appropriate – you still need to interrogate the business case. But increasingly the flexibility of mobile terminals does appear to be a compelling selling point.

As Patricia Fennessy, marketing manager at 123send, points out: “Mobile terminals offer true mobility and can be taken out to shows/events and passed to customers around the salon, while portable card machines can take payments up to 100 metres from the base station. Some of our customers have a fixed line at the entrance desk and also a mobile terminal to hand to customers around the salon.”

Moreover, being able to pay by card often leads to clients spending more than if they were handing over physical cash, she adds.

When it comes to upgrading, “any new payment system should be ‘future proof’, ” recommends Steamline’s Jayadeep Nair.

“For example old Chip and PIN machines can be easily updated to offer contactless payments. You should also be clear on the business benefits you are looking for, such as reduced waiting times, a terminal that can be used anywhere in the salon, accessing a new customer audience or just increasing revenue potential,” he adds.

Speed of processing

Chip and PIN’s David Maisey predicts: “Many terminals work through a phoneline, therefore a salon owner cannot complete a transaction and take a call at the same time. Not only is a salon owner potentially losing business but the process can be slow. Many of our terminals use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and therefore we are moving away from phoneline-based systems.”

Of course, fixed, landline-based countertop terminals may still be

If you read nothing else read this…

•

Clients nowadays expect to be able to pay by card

•

Portability and flexibility are the priorities

•

There is an increasing move away from landline-based systems

TRIED & TESTED

Tried & Tested

How Tried and Tested works: The NHF’s Tried and The SalonFocus Tried and Tested panel is made Tested panel of top salon up of NHF members who are not paid for their owners gives its regular opinions. The rating is the opinion of the panel alone. Manufacturers who wish to submit items verdict on a range of for testing should contact Tina Beaumont at NHF established and new head office on tina.beaumont@nhf.info. Three product and equipment. samples will normally be required. Being accepted is not a guarantee a review will be published.

The product:

Soulglow Description: Soulglow from SoulDK is a Danish ecofriendly brand that comprises shampoo, conditioner, volume spray and moisturising serum. The concept behind the brands, says the company, is “taking all the bad stuff out hair products and still being profitable. It is our mission to spread the message that we must take care of ourselves and especially the young people who use lots of wax every day.”

Was there anything that stood out, good or bad?

Our testers said: “Each product is good quality, and good to work with. It is a product that is easy to talk to clients about.” “The only product from this range I felt worked was the volume spray, but even it was still rather sticky.”

Did it work?

Our testers said: “The products all worked to their expected qualities and positive outcomes.” “No.”

Any other comments?

Our testers said: “They create confidence in their use by staff members because of their stated eco-label.” “The smell was not very nice and I found hair didn’t feel that clean afterwards.”

Tried and Tested overall rating: 3

Would you use it in your salon?

Our testers said: “Yes, as it would appeal to clients regarding their eco-labelling interests.” “No.”

HHH

The product:

The product:

Nutri Color Creme

Fudge Hair Shaper Description: Fudge Hair Shaper from Sabre Corporation is a strong hold, semi-matte texturising crème designed, the company says, “to thicken, control, mould and define hair into sexy lived-in looks”. A combination of natural waxes “works to texturise and improving the hair’s condition while styling”, it adds.

Did it work?

Our testers said: “Yes.” “It was very good in producing hairstyles to the client’s satisfaction.”

Would you use it in your salon?

Our testers said: “Yes.” “Yes. I would also encourage the team to promote it through retail.”

Description: Nutri Color Crème from Revlon is a “treatment colour” that, the company says, works to “revive the colour and condition of coloured hair that has faded or lost its vibrancy”. It “brightens, revives, accentuates, neutralizes and corrects tones”, it adds.

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

Our testers said: “I really liked the finish this product gave.”

“The packaging and fragrance makes it a very good product to display.”

Did it work?

Our testers said: “Not really (slightly).” “Yes.”

Any other general comments?

Our testers said: “It gives a great feel in the hair.”“Our clients were very pleased to use it.”

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

Our testers said: “It wasn’t the best product to use; I found it got quite messy and was not easy to apply.” “I used it especially on treated base blonde shades (when needed).

It leaves the hair in excellent condition.”

Would you use it in your salon?

Our testers said: “No.” “Yes, and retail.”

Any other general comments?

Our testers said: “It is also useful as a toner on unwanted gold tones (as a correction).”

HHHH

www.nhf.info

Tried and Tested overall rating: 4.5

HHH

Tried and Tested overall rating: 3

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 29

FEDERATION FOCUS

NHF backs training scholarship Recommend a in aid of Christofer Mann friend… and

CHRISTOFER MANN SCHOLARSHIP

The NHF has joined forces with the Fellowship for British Hairdressing to offer one lucky hairdresser or barber the chance to win a whole year’s free education.

The initiative has been launched in memory of the late industry legend Christofer Mann, who died in January 2011, and throughout his life was deeply committed to the education and mentoring of young hairdressers.

The Christofer Mann Step-Up & SHINE Scholarship will be awarded to a UK hairdresser or barber who would not normally enter a competition but who has shown evidence that they have a genuine passion for education and a desire to learn and improve their skills.

The winner will receive a bespoke education package worth £2,500, valid for one year and including expenses, as well as a “mentoring programme” to help plan their year.

There are no restrictions on age, experience or location within the UK. The process for awarding the 2014 scholarship began last month, but the deadline for entries will run until the end of January next year.

Those interested in applying, or wishing to nominate a colleague or friend, will need to record a one minute video on a smartphone or other

recording device explaining why they love hairdressing and why they would be a great candidate to receive a Step-Up & SHINE Scholarship.

These will then be uploaded on to the NHF’s secure YouTube channel for judging.

Once all entries are in a panel of judges will draw up a shortlist of potential candidates.

From these a selection of finalists will be notified and given a slot during February or March, during which a representative from the NHF will visit to observe them working and to conduct a short, informal but carefully standardised interview.

A winner will be drawn from the results of this process, with the winner to be announced at The Fellowship’s President’s Night in April.

“This is such an exciting initiative,” said stylist and trainer Debbie G, who will act as the Step-Up & SHINE mentor.

“Christofer was a huge supporter of grass-roots hairdressing and believed wholeheartedly in the concept of education for all. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm to learn.

“It sums up Christofer’s ethos and sits right at the heart of what both the NHF and The Fellowship regard as fundamentally important. And we’re hoping to discover some hidden talent in the process,” she added.

The £2,500 will be cover tuition fees, travel and overnight expenses, and will be tailored to suit the needs of the winner and their chosen career path.

For further information contact Victoria Priestley at victoria.priestley@ nhf.info or go online at www.nhf.info/ nhf-world/step-up-and-shine/

get £25 voucher NHF members know, and value, the benefits of being a member of the National Hairdressers’ Federation. So, why not spread the word?

The NHF is this month launching an initiative to offer members a £25 high street voucher gift if they can encourage a friend or colleague – salon owner, barber or beauty salon – to join them in the NHF. What’s more, the new member will also receive a £25 bonus, in the shape of £25 off their membership for the first year.

The Recommend a Friend scheme will encourage more hair salon, beauty salon and barber shop owners to become full members of the NHF, as well as help to raise the profile of the Federation within both the industry and more widely on the high street.

Full details of the new scheme can be found online at www.nhf.info/ recommend. Alternatively, members can call the head office membership team on 0845 345 6500 or 01234 831965.

FRIEND SCHEME: ENCOURAGING MEMBERSHIP

Call to audition for ‘masterclass’ Hairdressers and barbers keen to show off their talent are being urged to get in touch with Southern Networking Group and audition for a “masterclass” due to be held in February.

The idea is the brainchild of networking group vicechair Wendy Cummins, owner of Quiffys salon in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

The podium showcase will be held on February 10, but Wendy told SalonFocus she was keen for people to put

PAGE 30 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

themselves forward now and get in touch with her team at the salon.

“It’s just about getting people to come and show off their talent, whether that’s long hair, barbering, colour or whatever.

Not every salon these days can afford to do poster work so this is just another way to help people get noticed,” she said.

Those interested in getting involved should ring Quiffys on 02380 611299.

FEDERATION FOCUS

New deal for members to help boost online presence NHF members are being urged to be more proactive in “optimising” their online presence to ensure their salons stand out on internet searches and they do not as a result lose out to competitors with a more noticeable online presence.

To this end, the Federation has negotiated special rates with one of its preferred suppliers, thomsonlocal, offering members discounted rates on its SearchVisibility product.

SearchVisibility is what is know as a lead generation product, and is designed to help businesses raise their profile online by better positioning how they are listed on search engines.

Under the terms of the agreement, members can now get 25 per cent off SearchVisibility, with the package including fully managed “Pay-Per-Click” advertising on search engines Google and Bing and listings on Google Maps and the online thomsonlocal directory.

Members will also be offered a 45-minute consultation with thomsonlocal on how to maximise their online presence, plus three months complimentary online marketing.

Full details about the package can be found online at www.nhf.info/member-benefits-and-services or by calling one of the head office membership team on 0845 645 6500.

NHF chief executive Hilary Hall said: “This agreement with thomsonlocal is another example of how NHF membership can give small, independent salons the extra competitive edge so vital on the modern high street.

“A business cannot afford to get lost in the traffic and ‘noise’ that exists online. This THOMSONLOCAL: NHF BENEFIT package will help ensure salons stay noticed, that in effect your business is competing on the internet high street rather than being lost down an online back alley,” she added.

The importance of proactively managing and promoting

From the NEC I am honoured to have been elected as your honorary treasurer, writes new honorary treasurer Roy Sparkes. First, of course, I need to thank my predecessor Jeffery Bonn for the dedication and commitment he brought to the role. I very much hope to build on his achievements.

Honorary treasurer is a role that brings with it deep responsibilities and, in the current financial climate, is absolutely critical to the future health and wellbeing of the Federation.

My priority naturally will be – has to be – ensuring that all our activities generate a surplus so we can make further investments into the services we offer our members. To that end, I shall be very focused on

www.nhf.info

your online presence has been highlighted to SalonFocus by SEO expert Stephen Ewart, head of marketing for names.co.uk, a domain and web hosting company.

“More salons need to implement SEO tactics if they are going to get noticed on the internet. The higher you are on the page the more likely customers are to click through to your website and STEPHEN EWART: visit your salon,” he said.

SEO ADVICE Big-name brands such as Toni&Guy, Regis and others invest heavily to ensure their websites come top of results pages, and small salons needed to be competing in this arena, he pointed out.

Stephen outlined six key ways salons can raise their online profile and presence: • Get listed in Google Places using Google+. This gives a detailed description of your salon and its services.

• List your salon in local web directories, but do ensure they are local and relevant to your city or location.

• Ensure your company name, address and phone number is accurate and consistent, as inaccuracies will result in a loss of “SEO value”.

• Create a mobile-friendly version of your website and company social networking profiles. This could significantly increase the traffic you receive from local searches.

• Create “unique content” for each page on your website, and where possible make this relevant to the location. Search engines will penalise you for content taken from other people’s websites.

• Encourage reviews for Google Places from your customers.

Most sites that get good local listing results have a significant number of good reviews. Ask customers to post a comment after they visit your salon and follow up with an email where possible to remind them. ensuring members’ subscriptions are put to the best possible use.

More widely, I am hugely supportive of the priority NEC and head office is giving to membership, both recruiting new members and retaining our current loyal membership. I look forward to working with NEC on how we can be offering not just value for money when it comes to NHF membership but best value for money; how we can constantly add value to the subscription package and how then we should best be communicating that added value to members.

There are also opportunities to be had in reaching out to other parts of our industry, barbers especially but also beauty salons, and showing what we can offer them. I am very optimistic the Federation will continue to grow, in large part because we have so much to offer our industry. I very much look forward to playing my part.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 31

CASE CONFIDENTIAL

In sickness and in wealth Marie Stitson, manager and 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.

A common issue affecting many salons is the prevalence of the idea that stylists can undertake work of their own for family and friends when not working for the salon.

Some individuals take it further and act as a mobile hairdresser, which can lead to difficulties with their employers, as the following case illustrates.

In this case the salon affected was operating in a small town. It had several stylists with a full client list. One, who we shall call Kirsty (not her real name), was off sick for some time with back issues.

Mobile hairdresser

During this time the salon manager found out she was advertising her own mobile hairdressing business.

It emerged after a client had called in and, when told she was unable to see Kirsty because of her absence, said she had forgotten Kirsty wasn’t there and would contact her at home.

This raised the salon manager’s suspicions, who rang the Legal Lifeline to discuss the options open to her.

She felt this was entirely wrong and acting against the interests of the salon, and wanted to take action in relation to it, especially given that the employee was off sick at the time.

The Legal Lifeline established there were a number of issues for consideration.

Firstly, while the manager thought this was happening, she didn’t have any evidence, or that she was doing it during this period of absence.

Additionally, through discussion it became clear that within the salon there was an accepted practice that most stylists would, from time to time, do some styling work for family and friends, although this was never supposed to be salon clients and not for money.

Material gain

Therefore to progress any action against the employee it would be imperative to have evidence she was doing this, and that it was for material gain in excess of the friends and family rule.

The manager found an advert in the window of a local shop promoting

PAGE 32 SALONFOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

a service with her name with a mobile number identified as Kirsty’s.

Additionally she found a Facebook page for the service that linked through to Kirsty’s own personal page, where her status updates included references to “doing” various people’s hair.

The updates were throughout the period of Kirsty’s absence, with some specifically during her normal working hours and some outside them.

It was therefore, at least superficially, evident Kirsty was undertaking hairdressing work for her own business during her absence from work.

We advised the manager to investigate further with the other stylists and clients and take witness statements where there was solid information about Kirsty’s current activities (not just what they had heard on the grapevine).

Investigatory meeting

We also advised her to set up an investigatory meeting with Kirsty to discuss what she had found and ask Kirsty for her side of the story.

The difficulty, however, was Kirsty’s current absence. She hadn’t been in much contact with the salon other than to send in medical notes, and the salon manager was concerned she couldn’t force Kirsty to come to a meeting and answer her questions about this matter.

We advised it was perfectly acceptable to ask Kirsty to attend a meeting in this context, although we also advised it might be a good idea to offer to meet her at her home.

The meeting took place and, while Kirsty initially denied she had been undertaking hairdressing work for money while off sick, after some close questioning, she admitted it.

She had set up a mobile hairdressing business and taken clients from the salon, as well as getting new clients from advertising, and had been taking money for her work. She said she knew it was wrong to do so and her actions were well in excess of the family and friends rule.

Having had that response, the salon manager took further advice about a disciplinary hearing and the potential

sanctions open to her. The potential to dismiss for gross misconduct was discussed, and a disciplinary hearing was set up.

However just before the hearing, Kirsty sent in a letter resigning with immediate effect and apologising for her actions.

Our advice now was to ensure this wasn’t a hasty decision and give Kirsty the opportunity to withdraw the resignation, while emphasising that, as the hearing hadn’t yet taken place, no decision had been made. Nevertheless Kirsty did not change her mind and so left the business.

Since this incident, the salon has clarified its stylists’ contracts in relation to hairdressing outside work to ensure there is no reoccurrence of this issue.

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

4

NOV Allergy Alert Consultation and Colour Record Card networking event, Stirling.

Contact: NHF head office on 0845 345 6500 or events@nhf.info

10

NOV South of England Hairdressing Championships, Novotel, Southampton.

Contact: John Light on 01794 521849 or southern.region@nhf.info

11

NOV Allergy Alert Consultation and Colour Record Card networking event, Leeds.

Contact: NHF head office on 0845 345 6500 or events@nhf.info

11

NOV How to make your salon more profitable seminar, Southampton.

Contact: NHF head office on 0845 345 6500 or events@nhf.info

11

NOV Cheshire Championships, NK Theatre, Romiley, Stockport.

Contact: Ian Barrell on 0161 292 7559 or northwestregion@nhf.info

25

NOV Allergy Alert Consultation and Colour Record Card networking event, Chelmsford.

Contact: NHF head office on 0845 345 6500 or events@nhf.info

25

NOV British Hairdressing Awards, Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.

Contact: daniel.eversfield@rbi.co.uk

2

DEC Milkshake International Team – hair show from Milan, East Midlands region, The Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton on Trent.

Contact: Ivan Blount on 01773 745580 or events@nhf.info

www.nhf.info

2014 10

FEB Bournemouth ‘masterclass’.

Contact: Wendy Cummins on 02380 611299 MARCH (date to be confirmed) Bournemouth Competition.

Contact: John Light on 01794 521849 or southern.region@nhf.info

16/17

MARCH Blackpool NHF Competition, Winter Gardens, Blackpool.

Contact: Elieen Clough on 01253 406834 (evenings)

27

APRIL Northern England Championships, Marriot Hotel, Gateshead.

Contact: Avril Walker on 01642 597197 or northeastregion@nhf.inf

NHF EVENTS OTHER Please send your events to the NHF at events@nhf.info by November 13 for January/February 2014 , 17 January for March/April 2014 and February 28 for May/June.Updated events listed on www.nhf.info

Britain’s Best You still have time to get your entries in, but don’t delay! Here’s a reminder of the dates you need to remember.

8

NOVEMBER Closing date for entries for Britain’s Best floor competition.

Details www.britainsbest.me

17

NOVEMBER Britain’s Best, Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham.

Details: www.britainsbest.me

November/December 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 33

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

@nhfederation @NHfederation There have been reports there has been a rise in the number of barber shops charging as little as £3 for a cut, suggesting they may be cutting corners. Is this happening in your area?

@NHfederation The National Hairdressers’ Federation has been invited to respond to a government consultation on how apprenticeship funding should be paid – direct to employers or via training providers?

What are your views?

Christina Lazarou There are so-called ‘salons’ around Cardiff like this, which is very unfair when you work a proper system and have been trading like ourselves since 1966 – not in the city centre so no real effect to us, but out of the centre they are open 7 days a week till 11pm at night.

Sophie Louise Hawkins It shouldn’t be a cheap service. Too much time, money and passion goes into our training.

Alex Loannou Aside from that, it’s demeaning to lower the price for all that training.

Sue Rodd I’ve had clients come into my salon, ask what price we charged and then say they can get it cheaper in the town.

Natasha Short Yes happening in my area – it could kill my shop.

Angela Young Yes this is a problem in our area too. If other salons were playing on a level, ie VAT and taxes and all on a similar price level, then clients could choose quality rather than price. However, we are confident our clients receive a high standard of customer care and exceptional stylists so we are confident that should help us retain customers rather than lose them to cheaper salons.

@NHfederation Yayyyyy! We can finally reveal the finalists for the Photographic Stylist of the Year competition! The winners will be revealed at Britain’s Best on the November 17 in Birmingham. To purchase spectators’ tickets head to www.britainsbest.me The finalists are: Ladies: Elizabeth Mapp, Elizabeth & Giovannis, Kidderminster Jason Taylor, Kinki Boutique, Norwich Kevin Miller, Millers Salons, Bishop Stortford

Leigh Davies Bratton I think straight to employers. I’ve been waiting since February for money owed from the training providers. I don’t want to use them again.

Valerie Kelly Yeah straight to employers. There are loads of issues I would like to bring up on this subject!!! I shall fill in the survey ASAP lol!

Twitter followers: 1,987 Top Tweeter: Headhunters, Knaphill, Woking Facebook likes: 6,389 Top liker: Angela Young, Paul George Connect with us and have your comments and tweets in the next issue of SalonFocus.

Men’s: Craig Condy, Rainbow Room International, Glasgow Jake Carr, The Salon, Letchworth Joshua Goldsworthy, Goldsworthy’s Hairdressing, Swindon Congratulations to all and thank you to all that entered. It has been a hard decision for our judges!

Massive thanks also to Nicola Shannon, Catherine Hancock, Jamie Stevens and Desmond Murray who helped judge the finalists.

Emma Cliff Wooooo!x Arch Stanton Nice work Jason!

Angela Young Well done to the finalists from the team at Paul George Ann-Marie Pegg Well done Liz

we’ve got this all Designed to make the day-to-day running of your business a whole lot easier, Premier Salon has been developed with the advice of some of the hair industry's leading stylists. Our focus is to make it a simple yet powerful business tool that is a delight to use. Our intuitive appointment system allows clients to be booked in quickly and efficiently, in as few clicks as possible.

Simplicity does not compromise features, with Premier Salon covering all aspects of running a business. Mobile apps, online booking, SMS reminders and social media integration mean you can be sure you always promote your business effectively.

Call now to see how Premier Salon can help your business achieve its full potential.

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call: 01543 466580 web: www.premiersalon.co.uk email: hello@premiersalon.co.uk

PAGE 36 SALONFOCUS MAY/JUNE 2013