Salon franchises, which are expected to reach $100 million by 2013, have been aiming to make the industry more organised and have opened up various avenues. Sangeeta Yadavspeaks with experts to tell you how this profession is here to stay & grow
Call it a profession out of passion or a dynamic industry that offers plethora of opportunities, hair styling has become yet another rewarding career option for the youth. In today’s highly competitive world, a good hair style not only represents your personality but makes you feel confident.
In recent times the salon industry has been a great evolution in the fashion industry. “Apart from women, men are also wanting to experiment with their hairstyles regularly. Hairdressers are becoming like celebrities and the profession is no longer restricted. Nowadays, parents are encouraging their children to take this up as a career very unlike the past where hair styling was regarded as a time-pass. Creative art is soon picking up as a sought after profession. There are many hair styling shows on TV which is another trendsetting initiative that reaches the masses and makes them aware about the latest styles,” Aalim Hakim, anchor of Style Inc With Aalim Hakim on TlC, tells you.
With 1.2 billion people, of which nearly one-third are aspiring middle class, India makes a very attractive potential market for the hair and beauty industry. “The salon industry has been poised to net $2 billion this year-end, showing the year over year growth of more than 30 per cent. It is dominated by the unorganised segment, which is estimated to be 75 per cent of the market and the rest of the share is of organised beauty salon chains. However, the organised market is mounting at 33 per cent, more than the industry growth. As the market moves towards the organised formats, the beauty industry is increasingly taking up franchising as a model of expansion. Hence, salon franchise is expected to reach $100 million by 2013 end,” Gaurav Marya, chairman, Franchise India, tells you. Marya is the main presenter in the upcoming Indian Salon Congress 2013.
WHAT'S NEWIJ
Apart from usual job profiles like hair stylist, hair trainer, hair designer, creative hair artist etc you can also work as technical trainer and colour technician. The latest trend in the salon industry is that after mastering the art of hair dressing and styling, people are going a step ahead in learning the art of make-up and beauty. With this it is now possible for the aspirant hair stylist to not only focus on learning and creating trendsetting hair styles but she can also manage other beauty fields. “The beauty and salon industry go hand in hand. With the emergence of unisex family salons, it has increased the demand of multi-talented beauticians and hair stylists. It has initiated various new profiles like beauty therapist, beauty trainer, make-up expert, esthetician, nail technician, beauty consultant, celebrity stylist, image consultant, grooming specialist, product designer, salon manager or even the position of a beauty editor,” Nirmal Randhawa, owner of Indica make over, tells you.
“A fresher hairstylist gets a better package when they get into session styling. When a student has undergone training in both beauty and make up, they can carve a place for themselves in the salons they go to. The students who graduate in both hair and beauty become artists and are a preferred choice for salons,” Dr Blossom Kochhar, chairperson, Blossom Kochhar Beauty Products Pvt ltd, says.
With the advancement in technology, many salon equipments and innovative techniques have become a rage. “There is a need for highly advanced hair styling equipments in India. The manufacturing of hair styling equipments is also an emerging field that can grow leaps and bounds and has the potential of hiring many more people,” Randhawa adds.
CHAllENGES
lack of skilled and certified manpower is the key challenge faced by beauty and salon players. It is estimated that around 6,00,000 additional skilled professionals will be required in the next few years.
For sustainability, salon and beauty-based education players are challenged mainly by low student base and the lack of authorised body.
Substandard facilities and poor infrastructure, especially in the unorganised sector, has become a big hurdle in today’s time.
limited knowledge of customers about the services and the benefits of them, affect the horizontal growth of the players.
“The salon industry in India is not so organised, but it is still registering a double digit growth in India. However, the recent trend is the growth of chain salons like Habibs, Naturals and looks, to name a few. The Indian salon industry is still in its nascent stage witnessing a lot of competition from the international players. The total size of the salon industry is Rs8,000 crores and is growing at 25 per cent. The size of organised industry is Rs3,000 crores and is growing faster at 40 per cent.
“Hence, the domestic players need to be self-sufficient to survive the heavy competition. Also, the entry of international players along with national and international cosmetic companies would influence the essential growth of organised salon industry,” Kochhar says.
Many experts tell you that it is important to build on this growth. “It’s a community driven industry. Cost of getting the people on board is higher as they are coming from other small towns and working. What we need are more trained people on the job,” CK Kumaravel, managing director, Naturals Beauty Salon India Pvt. ltd, tells you.
Findings also reveal that proper training and education is a barrier in an increasing organised sector. “The major challenge a student would face is the lack of institutes that keep updating their curriculum according to the latest trends. A lot of experimenting and updating is required on behalf of the faculty. There is no benchmark in the profession.
“Further, there exists a lot of apprehension on the part of students to take up salons as a professional choice as it is still not considered to be a respectable profession. It is a dichotomy that even though the industry is growing well, many do not consider this as a respectful career option even though they might be enjoying the services of their favourite salons and stylists for that perfect look. It is equally important to train and update the faculty of such institutes,” Kochhar says.
SUCCESS MANTRA
To become a hairdresser, you will need to have good practical skills, creativity, customer service skills, an understanding and tactful approach, an awareness of fashion, willingness to learn new techniques and methods and an awareness of health and safety issues.
“It’s a highly creative field. One has to be multitasking in order to sustain in this ever growing profession. One has to be a hair dresser, a nail artist, a skin artist, etc, all rolled into one” Kumaravel concludes.