It can really suck to be a salon owner these days. Besides the normal chaos of running a business, salon owners have to decide which products to retail and use at the back bar and styling stations.
All the while, industry experts bemoan the fact that salons can't retail. Every consultant that knows the difference between a gel and pomade has written and spoken about the subject. Unfortunately, they themselves have never been a salon owner during these turbulent times so what do they really know?
Most recently, salon owners leaned towards Bumble & Bumble and Kerastase. Salon exclusive brands. But to buy the brands, you must keep every item in stock and buy a minimum quota. In the good days, it was an issue but surmountable. Today, good-bye salon exclusive brands.
Salon owners like to stick with what they know. Little did they know the brands they grew up would be bought by major corporations in which the salon division was a mere percentage of their overall sales. It's no wonder these brands are sold in virtually every retail outlet. Good-bye to 75% of the brands out there.
And finally, salon owners ventured out into no-man's land and brought in small, untested brands and even private label. No diversion, no minimums, no results. After the initial launch and list of promises gone undelivered, it was good-bye to these brands.
So it's with great fanfare that we launch Hair Manya, a hip, cool line of styling products from Kemon. The launch party is Monday and is sold out--more than 200 leading edge and entrepreneurial salon owners and hairdressers looking for the next big thing.
Personally, I love it. Not in a single retail store and nor will it be. No minimums to maintain each month. Education is second to none headlined by the DeBartolo Brothers. Cool displays and hip marketing. Fun, edgy and affordable.
This is the kind of stuff we need to get our industry back on track. I have a feeling these 200+ will help provide the spark. Salon owners still have power to make things happen. I look forward to see what they do with this.
Happy Thursday!
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