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News Beauty industry rebuilds post lockdown Feedback from beauty suppliers indicates that business, post lockdown, is starting to pick up after a slow start. Despite reports that some salons have closed as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, Jacoline Wentzel of The Spa Warehouse has found more new salons opening than closing. She explains: “As therapists are losing their jobs in the bigger salons and spas, they are opening their own smaller establishments. “In terms of our sales, July was a little slow, but August is a lot busier as the industry is slowly but surely opening up and the sun is coming out.” Lea Castro of Looking Good LCN says that while sales are lower by approximately 30% compared to the same last year, her team remains optimistic. “All of our top salons are still trading countrywide,” she notes. A RegimA distributor reports that sales from May to August were down by 20% to 40%, but with a steady improvement since then. Retail product sales have recovered far better than salon products. Exclusive Beauty Solutions, distributor of Anesi and CND, found business very slow immediately post lockdown. “Sales are at least 50% less than normal and some of our stockists have closed,” says MD Dalize Havenga. “However, sales are gradually picking up although salons are only buying what they need.”
Upswing SIX Skincare and Spalicious have gained an abundance of new brand partners post lockdown. Says SIX and Spalicious founder, Marisa Dimitriadis: “SIX Skincare has welcomed 10 new stockists, Spalicious seven new stockists and SIX Aesthetix has gained seven new stockists in total, all in the space of six weeks.” Wayne La Grange of Blue Sky International, incorporating the online @ probeauty.co.za
Beauté Pacifique, RapidLash and RapidBrow brands, comments: “There was huge excitement as we opened with great sales, which was followed by a dip but we got back to normal business in August. Our expectation is that we’re through the worst in our business year. We have already seen a 35% increase in sales versus July 2020.” SKNlogic has experienced an increase in sales of over 20% for June and July. Says Natasha Delport: “We have continuously had sales since May, as we were helping salons retail remotely. Sales traditionally increase in September, so we’re hoping to see the same increase this year.”
Prices RégimA has not increased prices, despite huge increases from most raw materials and packaging suppliers. Says Jacqui Faucitt: “We usually have an annual price increase on 1 July, but have waivered this until further notice.” Exclusive Beauty Solutions also has not increased prices, notwithstanding shipping prices having gone up. “It’s challenging because, realistically, we should increase our prices but we are apprehensive of losing clients,” states Havenga. A price increase will be the last resort for Looking Good
LCN. Castro explains: “It would damage our business critically. We are still able to absorb most of the additional costs incurred over this period, as well as the current exchange rates.” SKNlogic will, as far as possible, absorb the losses of April’s hard lockdown without carrying it onto clients.
Consumer trends Business patterns post lockdown seem to have evoked a better inner awareness and introspection of the lifestyles that people in general were living prelockdown. So says Karen Ellithorne, distributor of H2Glow, Milk Solutions and Jessica Cosmetics. “People are wanting to try different treatment modalities that will help them improve their appearance and body health, with a better long term vision as opposed to instant gratification. “This has created an opportunity for beauty business owners to change structures and relook at the way they have been running their business.” SKNlogic’s Delport adds: “Salons are looking to offering clients something new that they were not offering before, probably to set themselves apart from competitors.”
