Paul mitchell tackle product diversion head on
Diversion of professional products from the salon to high street stores remains one of biggest bones of contention for professional hairdressers; but rather than accepting it, Salon Success, the sole distributor of Paul Mitchell in the UK and Europe, have launched a full-scale assault since discovering that Boots are retailing Paul Mitchell products.
The matter came to light at the end of January when Paul Mitchell products, along with other professional brands, were found in nine of the high-street giant's flagship stores as well as on their website.
"We were mortified," explains Jennie Baldwin, Salon Success director of corporate sales.
"We are a professional brand that is only for professionals. Our products even say that they are only guaranteed when sold in salons on the packaging and it is our responsibility to make sure that they are only distributed to professionals.
"We had to do something, so we went into overdrive trying to buy the products back. At first we were really successful buying bulk loads at a time; but an email went round Boots stores and they have now implemented a policy where you can only buy three products as a time.
"Since then, we've had team members thrown out of stores, managers refusing to serve us and even staff going in to shops with their kids in the hope that they will go unnoticed!
"We've already spend tens of thousands of pounds buying the products back and it won't stop until we have got rid of them all."
When approached about the products, Boots said that they would not stop selling them as they had a contract and continual supply, but Salon Success is confident that they have now overcome this barrier.
"We have cut off a customer who we believe is the supplier and we are now at the beginning of the legal process against them," adds Jennie.
"We already had systems in place to stop diversion, which is why we have such a good track record in avoiding it in the past, but we have now have to put new procedures in place."
It is often said that every cloud has a silver lining and for Jennie this situation has made it clear quite how much potential there is for salons to successfully retail their professional products.
"The first time that I went in to the Oxford Street store to buy the products the manager was so helpful that he got me a trolley to walk round with and we had a chat.
"He told me that every single week customers come in and ask for Paul Mitchell products and that tells me what a fantastic opportunity hairdressers have to please so many clients with their professional products.
"The reality is that more clients buy their hair products from other places to where they have their hair done, so we really need to change their mindset and make them realise that the professionals are the best - even the only - people to buy from," she concludes.
