The beauty industry’s not-so-beautiful state

An Italian mayor once pleaded with residents to stop making house calls amid the pandemic to their barbers and hair salons.

This plea came amid a surge of new Covid-19 infections in Italy.

At that time, in March, South Africa had just confirmed its first case of Covid-19. It’s now time for South Africans to hear these words, as many men and women are starting to make house calls for their hair and nails to be done – this before the virus has reached its expected peak in the country.

Hair salons and barbers, among others in the beauty industry, have not been allowed to operate since the national lockdown was implemented, at the end of March.

Cash-strapped

“My clients mainly request hair cuts and colour, especially short-hair clients, and both genders would like grey coverage or root touch-ups,” says Arthi Simone [name changed], who is now operating as a mobile hairdresser.

Simone says she started to feel the pinch of not being able to operate due to lockdown-induced regulations. “I had no money whatsoever, so I had no choice but to contact my clients and to respond to the clients that asked me to do their hair.”

She has now become a go-to hairdresser around Johannesburg.

“My clients are from multiple different areas. I meet so many different people and have recommendations from existing clients, so they are willing to travel outside their areas,” Simone says.

Unlike those operating in the tobacco and [formerly] the alcohol black markets, prices are still are reasonable.

“I can’t get myself to charge double the price just because of the lockdown. I just charge my normal rate,” Simone says.

Possible closure

Sorbet CEO Linda Sinclair says the lockdown is having a devastating impact on the industry: salon owners, their employees and dependents. Any further extension of the lockdown could see many businesses within the industry face closure.

“Like many in our industry, Sorbet been hard-hit and I cannot predict what the future will look like if the lockdown continues indefinitely. But we are working very hard to avoid any impacts on jobs and our salons. It is therefore imperative that salons be allowed to re-open their doors as soon as possible,” Sinclair says.

Sorbet has tried to mitigate the risk on its employees by providing them with food vouchers.

“We’ve also been able to waive and defray franchise fees and help negotiations with property landlords and suppliers,” Sinclair says.

Its only saving grace is that it can still sell Sorbet products at retail stores.

“Our suppliers are feeling the effects of the lockdown as much as we are. If we do not trade to our full capacity, they do not benefit and vice versa. We are fortunate to still be able to sell our retail products; however, volumes have been impacted as our stores are not open.”

At the time of print, Sorbet could not indicate how much it has lost in revenue.

“At this stage, there is no clear indication when we will be able to open, but we do hope that the thousands of South African women and men who make their living in the industry will be able to get back to work through a responsible, phased and measured re-opening – sooner rather than later,” Sinclair says.

Though Sorbet is not sure when it will be able to operate again, it is preparing for those who have patiently waited for beauty treatments.

“We do not know what the industry will look like [post-lockdown], but for now we are focused on supporting our franchises, particularly with respect to the implementation of additional stringent hygiene protocols so that we are ready to welcome our guests back,” Sinclair says.

Preparation better than cure

President of the South African Association of Health and Skincare Professionals (SAAHSP), Elna Hagen, agrees with Sinclair that most salons and spas might not be able to resume normal trading post lockdown. For those that will still be able to operate, the association has prepared standard operating procedures (SOPs) which businesses will have to adhere to in order to ensure that clients and staff are safe.

“We have also provided the industry with a list of personal protective equipment suppliers on our website for easy reference. We have conducted webinars on the SOPs and recently also conducted a virtual salon for workplace readiness reference,” Hagen says.

SAAHSP condemns those making house calls.

“As an organisation, we keep on motivating our members and industry to abide by the law. But in the end, we have no control of their movements or intentions and since they have earned no income for so long they are obviously doing what they have to do to provide for their families,” Hagen says.

Although some members have applied for funding from the South African Future Trust and the Sukuma Relief Programme, she says only a portion of SAAHSP members could apply for the UIF-Ters benefit.

“A very large self-employed section of our industry is suffering tremendously, since they do not receive help from the government,” Hagen says.

Source: moneyweb.co.za