Grey market bad for hairdressing business
The grey market in hairstyle products has once again reared its ugly head and HJ News Editor Matthew Batham if on a crusade to make everyone aware of quite what a drain it is on the professional hairdressing industry.
Hot news this week has been Boots' decision to stock top professional brands Redken, MOP and Paul Mitchell.
No-one happy
It seems to have got everyone's back up - the suppliers, salon owners and even some Boots customers - I received a call not long after the story went live on HJi from a consumer - not a hairdresser - who was very upset to see the brands she usually bought from her hairdresser sitting on the shelves of Boots the Chemist. "It devalues them", she said. How refreshing to hear that from a client.
Not illegal
There's nothing illegal about what Boots is doing - there's no suggestion that it has obtained the goods from anything but a reputable source - but why can't high street retailers just leave the sale of professional brands to, well, the professionals?
No cooperation
The three suppliers unanimously stated that Boots hadn't obtained the goods through them, and Boots agreed that it had received no cooperation from the manufacturers.
Strength
At a time like this, the professional salon owner needs to fully exploit every strength they have - including retailing professional brands.
What hairdressers have over the average retail worker is their skills and knowledge - plus access to expert advice from the brands' genuine suppliers.
Caring and sharing
These skills are accrued through extensive and intensive training within an industry that thrives on sharing ideas, encouraging creativity and building the reputation of hairdressing.
This desire to share only seems to grow the more successful a hairdresser becomes.
This week we heard how Errol Douglas - a regular winner in the HJ British Hairdressing Awards - spent a day with the new F.A.M.E team, teaching them about being creative with hair.
"As a former F.A.M.E Team member myself, I know how important it is to be nurtured," said Errol.
Inter-industry sharing
It's not just within their own industry where hairdressers are happy to help nurture new talent. Wella Professionals, for example, recently put together a team of stylists, headed by Simon Bryer of Michael Van Clarke, London, to style hair for a show by students at the London College of Fashion.
It was the second time Wella Professionals had partnered the college in this way, and indicative of how hair and fashion are complementary industries.
