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“We cater for mum, dad and two kids ... we are not high-end, we are not a Toni&Guy where you are sitting there for four hours,” Manning said.
While there’s still a market for salons that provide full-service treatments, complete with coffee and champagne on demand, Manning says many of her company’s shoppers prefer not to spend so much time or money on a trim.
Foot traffic has increased across shopping centres, but Manning said people want to get in and out quickly. Credit:Tertius Pickard
“They [our customers] want to get in, get out – they don’t have time,” she said.
Consumer confidence data published last week shows households are adopting a bleaker view of the economy for the next year and a dimmer view of how much spare cash they’ll have for everyday spending.
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index for March reached close to historic lows. Most consumers expect further interest rate rises, and fewer households think that now is the time to spend on a big-ticket item.
JustCuts, which operates on a franchise model, has a flat fee of $39 for hair cuts, regardless of gender or hair length. The business doesn’t take appointments. However, it has updated its technology recently to something more sophisticated than a paper wait-list at the front desk.
The group’s “check in” app lets users add their name to the queue at a salon and receive an estimated wait time, so they know how long they have to shop for groceries or do other chores at a shopping centre before the hairdresser is ready to see them.
Manning says about half of the group’s users are checking in virtually.
The strong conditions are prompting a global focus for the company once again, with plans to grow the footprint overseas once restrictions lift, as well as expand into new regional towns in Australia.
Despite the tough labour market, the return of overseas travellers is helping with recruitment for stylists.
“It was difficult coming back [from lockdowns], but we are seeing the British and Irish backpackers come back,” Manning said.
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