The First Minister for Wales, Mark Drakeford, has today announced that hair and barbering businesses, including mobile, will reopen from Monday 15 March. The decision means that beauty businesses (that is close contact services, which includes nail salons and eyebrow bars) must remain closed until 12^th April, in line with England’s re-opening of non-essential businesses. The current measures are reviewed in three weeks’ time.

While pleased that those in hair and barbering can begin trading again from Monday, the NHBF is deeply disappointed with the Welsh Government’s decision to stagger the reopening of the sector without providing any scientific evidence to support the move.

The NHBF has stressed the damage that such a move will do to public confidence in the beauty sector and is continuing to make the case for the whole personal care sector to be reopened as soon as possible.

• What Welsh hair and barber businesses need to know:
• Services that relate to cutting or treating hair on the head can be provided. 
• Trimming or shaving facial hair (for example beards, moustaches or eyebrows) is not permitted. 
• ALL other close contact services will remain closed in Wales until further notice. 
• Staff should wear a Type II mask and a clear visor that covers the forehead, extends below the chin and wraps around the face.  
• The mask and visor are in addition to the PPE you normally wear when carrying out treatments, for example gloves or aprons.  The government guidelines also state that the most effective methods of preventing transmission of the virus are still social distancing and regular handwashing.  
• All hair and barbering businesses in Wales, whether premises based or mobile, must operate on a strict appointment-only basis. The guidance for Wales states that you should ask clients for each client’s contact details on the day of their appointment to help with the government’s ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ service. 

Financial Support

• The business rates holiday has been extended for the rest of the financial year.
• Personal care businesses that pay business rates and have to remain closed will be able to claim for a third grant of between £4-5,000.
• Those who have previously received a grant from the Business Restrictions Fund will receive the payment in March.
• Any business which has not previously claimed can register with their local authority from Monday 15 March until 5.00pm on 31 March.

The NHBF is pushing for further financial support for businesses which remain closed, those who either will face a significant shortfall or for whom it is not financially viable to reopen if they cannot offer full services.

Richard Lambert, NHBF Chief Executive said “The fact that hair salons and barbershops, as well as mobile stylists, can get back to work is good news, but we are baffled by the decision to phase the reopening of our whole sector.  There seems to be no clear explanation or evidence for delaying the beauty sector re-opening.  It’s like allowing bookshops to re-open but keeping the non-fiction section closed.”

“These businesses are literally on the brink.  We know that financial support from the Welsh Government, whilst welcome, is just not meeting the fixed costs businesses have going out each month. We have lost ten per cent of the industry already, with more to follow unless we can get doors open and money coming in. If the Welsh Government is adamant that this is not yet possible, then they must ensure that financial support gets through to these businesses in dire need before more go under.”

The NHBF is pushing for further financial support for businesses which either will face a significant shortfall or for whom it is not financially viable to reopen if they cannot offer full services.

Hair and barbering businesses must follow the Welsh Government’s updated guidance which is available at https://gov.wales/covid-19-alert-levels and as previously, are legally required to carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment.

More information on the latest announcement can be found via the NHBF Coronavirus Hub at www.nhbf.co.uk/coronavirus.

Following the budget announcement, the recognised official charity of the professional hair and beauty industry, Hair & Beauty Charity, has released its current support figures, “Since the third lockdown this January, we have seen a worrying 227% increase in requests for financial support during January and February, based year on year.  Even after today’s announcement and the 12^th April opening date in the roadmap, we know that our support will be required for months to come,” explains Hair & Beauty President Samantha Grocutt.

Hair & Beauty Charity was first established in 1836 as the Hairdresser’s Orphan Fund and has continued to support hair and beauty professionals who have been affected by illness, disability, bereavement, homelessness, domestic violence, or financial hardship.  During 2020, the charity saw an extraordinary 148% increase in requests for help and increased the financial contributions to those in the hair and beauty industry by 70%. 

“Today’s budget announcement has some positive news for our beneficiaries – especially those who were self-employed in 2019 and have been part of the three million who have fallen through the net of government financial support to date.  Approximately 62.5%* of the professional industry is working in a self-employed capacity. Our charity has been vital to support for them, so we’re pleased that there is now financial support available for those who need it and who meet the requirements for qualifying.  However, we also know that many of the beneficiaries we are helping with financial support still may not qualify for the new self-employed support as many were self-employed in July 2020 either by losing their jobs or having their employment status altered.  We have ring-fenced funds to continue supporting them.

“Further, the news that the sector’s lobbying for a VAT reduction to 5% has not been accepted will also affect salon owners who have been significantly impacted with almostnine months of salon closure.  This cut was previously awarded to the hospitality sector and has now been extended, despite the hair and beauty industry being 1/3 of the size and VAT paying salons employing half of all those people working in the sector.  The charity is still very much a life-line for our industry and will continue to help those in financial need as we have for more than 180 years,” concludes Samantha.

*From Office of National Statistics July 2019-June 2020.  Hair & Barbering is 60% and Beauty 65%

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/relieffund

The NHBF has released a statement welcoming the support for the hair & beauty sector in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget as a success for its lobbying efforts over the past year.

Personal Care is one of the only sectors due to re-open in Step 2 (currently expected from 12^th April) where businesses will be eligible to receive a one-off cash grant of up to £18,000. Details on how to apply will be announced in the next week.

Salon owners will also be supported by:

• Furlough (Coronavirus Job Support Scheme) being extended to September 2021 across the UK. 
• A new UK-wide Recovery Loan Scheme to make available loans between £25,001 and £10 million to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery.
• Small and medium-sized employers in the UK will continue to be able to reclaim up to two weeks of eligible Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) costs per employee from the Government.
• In England, business rates relief of 100% until the end of June and then a discount of two-thirds until the end of the year.
• Corporation Tax will remain at 19% until 2023, staying at this level for those with profits of £50,000 or less. It will then be tapered, with only those generating £250,000 or more in profit being charged 25%.

For self-employed hair & beauty professionals:

• The UK-wide Self Employment Income Support scheme is being extended to September 2021, and everyone who filed a tax return in 2019-20 is now able to claim for the first time. 
• Those whose turnover has fallen by over 30% can claim 80% back and those who have lost less than 30% of turnover can claim 30%.

Local authorities in England will also be given an additional £425m to support businesses who have fallen through the gaps in support and may not be eligible for restart grants.

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive, National Hair & Beauty Federation says, 

“We welcome this budget. We’ve worked hard to inform and educate the government about our sector, particularly through our recent report, An Industry at The Sharp End.  Their improved understanding is reflected in the whole package – above all, in securing the higher grants for Personal Care.

“We were worried that the most vulnerable in our sector would find it hard to survive to re-open, but both the Restart Grant and further funding for the self-employed have thrown a lifeline to struggling businesses and professionals.

“We will continue to press the case for a short-term reduction in VAT to help the hardest-hit hair & beauty businesses to recover.”

BABTAC, British Beauty Council, NHBF and UK Spa Association have been working as part of a COVID Coalition to make a case to Government for the need for targeted support for our sector. This has included formulating a robust and fully costed proposal for an immediate recovery fund for the personal care sector and a cut in VAT to five per cent once reopened in order to counter the effects of working at reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements. The Coalition continues to work together for the good of the sector to campaign for improvements in recognition and support for our sector now and going forward.

Full details of the budget can be found on the Government website.

The historic Italian shaving brand Proraso launches social media videos in the United States to capture and celebrate the authenticity of the barber-client relationship and establish leadership on the US market.

‘What’s Next’ is the new US social campaign by the Italian shave brand Proraso, intent on attaining a leadership position in the US market and the world.
Proraso was founded on core brand values based on tradition, loyalty, respect, comfort and trust… synonymous with the relationship individual clients have with their barber. Like an artist’s brushstrokes, the barber’s every gesture is precise and methodical, almost rhythmic – establishing much more than a mere routine, but rather a grooming ritual, the steps of which the client then comes to expect in same order every time, always knowing what’s next.
For the initial launch, some of the best barbers and barbershops – not actors or studio sets – in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Salk Lake City were selected to be featured in the videos. Even their “co-stars” were chosen from among they loyal clientele. Moreover, all the barbers involved were already enthusiastic about using Proraso shaving products in their trade on a daily basis.
These stories are intended to remind us that barbers are the heart and soul of the shaving industry. Real people, real products, real feelings… dedicated to making men look their best and feel good about themselves, restoring self-confidence and re-energizing them for a day’s work, a special occasion, an important business trip, a vacation, or just a relaxing day at home. After a perfect shave, you’re always ready for What’s next….

proraso-usa.com/new-york-city
proraso-usa.com/los-angeles
proraso-usa.com/salt-lake-city
proraso-usa.com/boston
proraso-usa.com/new-york-city-2

The Professional Beauty Association (PBA), is strongly opposing House Bill 2325 which would deregulate licensing for hair, skin and nail services in West Virginia. This bill has been fast tracked without a thorough understanding of what this means for both the professional beauty industry and consumers.

House Bill 2325 was substituted on February 22 to prevent the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists from regulating the use, application, or administration, by unlicensed persons whether for compensation or not of hair, nail, skin, and other beauty products that are commonly available as retail, consumer products.

Salons throughout the United States were shut down due to Covid and many are still only open with a reduced capacity due to health and safety. HB 2325 disregards these measures. West Virginia’s phase two reopening plan placed a standard of protocols to re-open and operate safely. As part of the WV reopening plan the following is stated:

“It is acknowledged that all services within the [beauty] industry carry some risk in this viral environment due to the nature of the services provided and the inability to maintain social distancing. With that said, licensed or certified professionals have been trained to mitigate these risks significantly through the use of proper infection control standards required by the state regulatory licensing rules and regulations.”

Small businesses in the professional beauty industry are looking for support, especially as they continue to try to recover from the devastating impact of COVID- 19. Licensed beauty professionals’ education and training are more important now than ever as their mandated education allows them to provide a safe salon environment and safe services to clients.  

Instead of supporting the recovery of small beauty businesses, 73% of which are owned by women, House Bill 2325 will ignore training and education that keeps clients safe by allowing anyone that can purchase a beauty product to provide beauty services for compensation. The mandatory training and education that is required in all 50 states for licensed beauty professionals is in place to protect clients from the spread of bacteria and diseases.

Help PBA oppose this bill and take action to send a notice to your legislator*. Visit probeauty.org for more details.

*Please note only West Virginia residents may take action on this alert. The messages are editable and may be changed to reflect your role in opposing the legislation. You may also change the email subject line and we encourage you to do so. Please share this campaign with your friends and family.

The Bearded Goat, from Washington entrepreneurs Eric Renfro, Jon Dodson, and Scott Parker, is opening its third location, at the Village at Shirlington. It will be located 4150 Campbell Ave.

“The Village at Shirlington is the ideal location for Bearded Goat Barber to open its third location,” writes co-founder Scott Parker in a press release. “Having opened our first shop in Ballston in 2019, and our second location in Navy Yard in Washington, DC this year, we are focused on neighborhoods that are future-focused, while retaining a certain charm.”

The barber shop will, of course, adhere to strict CDC guidelines, according to the release.

This includes santaizing workspaces, tools, chairs, capes, and waiting areas in between all visits. Masks are also required to be worn at all times by both patrons and employees, through the entire grooming experience.

The first Bearded Goat Barber location opened in Ballston about two years ago. It temporarily shut down last March due to the pandemic and reopened in May with new safety and health guidelines in place. The second location recently opened in Navy Yard in Southeast D.C.

The upscale barber shop is a partnership between two barbers, Renfro and Dodson, who were previously working at Clarendon’s Hendrick Barbershop, and serial local entrepreneur Parker.

The findings of a recent report by The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) shows that salon and barbershop revenue fell by 45% in 2020, compared to 2019.

The report, titled, Hair, beauty and the pandemic: An industry at the sharp end. The impact of coronavirus on business vulnerability and the potential for mitigating measures, found that the hair and barbering industry are some of the most affected sectors since the pandemic restrictions hit.

Commissioned from independent analysts Pragmatix Advisory by the NHBF, the report details the current situation for the industry, the strength of the sector prior to the pandemic and the urgent measures required to ensure that the majority of the industry survives, which long term, will cost the Government very little.

The highlight findings of the report were that salon capacity is down to 70% of what it was pre-pandemic, losing an average of two hours of appointment time per stylist per day. With reduced customer demand.

Full time employment figures have dropped by 21% on 2019, with the average cash loss to business for 2020 being £17,000, with those over the tax threshold taking an even bigger hit.

With no support from Government, the prediction is that many businesses in the sector are acutely vulnerable to failure in the next 12 months, as 2021 is predicted to be as tough as last year.

A worrying figure was revealed where 60% of businesses entered 2021 with no cash reserves, and one in 10 businesses did not return any income or dividend to their owners or managers in 2020. At this rate, without further support, most expect to survive two to three months (from January), if lockdown continues.

The report revealed that the crisis has had a disproportionate impact on women and those in deprived communities – hair and beauty business owners are 82% female with an 88% female workforce.

There is a higher proportion of Personal Care businesses than any other sector in the most deprived areas of the UK. The closure of these businesses poses greatest risk to those in the local community who are most likely to be employed in these salons and barbershops.

How the Government can help

By reducing VAT to 5% would add £16,000 to the average VAT registered business, closing the cash gap by one-third. This would reduce to 6% the proportion of businesses not returning anything to their owners or managers.

If 18% of the businesses which would have otherwise failed survive as a result of reducing VAT to 5%, then the policy pays for itself through the taxes they will pay.

Richard Lambert, NHBF chief executive says: “Whilst the future could be bleak for the personal care sector, intervention now and immediately following re-opening will have a life-changing positive effect. There’s nothing coming in, but the overheads still have to be paid. When we are closed, we are closed.  We can’t diversify into takeaways and online sales. 

“The Personal Care sector is calling for a specific grant to support businesses through the immediate cashflow crisis, in line with similar funds that have been afforded to many other sectors, including the arts, hospitality and leisure, and the aeronautical industry, among others.”

He continues: “We also need support after re-opening to keep cash in these businesses so they can recover. The bigger businesses have been hit the hardest and are now the most vulnerable to failure. A targeted VAT cut to 5% would allow them to re-build, invest in staff and apprentices, and once again be the heart of their high streets and communities.  We’ve shown this move will pay for itself, so it’s a cost-effective solution for the Government.

“Right now, it feels like we are last in line for support, flippantly disregarded within Parliament and overlooked by Government, despite the billions of pounds we contribute to the economy each year.”

The NHBF, working together with the British Beauty Council (BBC), British Association of Beauty Therapists and Cosmetologists (BABTAC) and UK Spa Association, has been lobbying the Department for Business (BEIS), the Treasury and the Cabinet Office for an urgent Personal Care crisis fund and a reduction in VAT.

What is the future of independent businesses? And more importantly, what do you want it to be?

The Retail Mutual has requested the opinions of the UK’s shop owners, retailers, and independent businesses on and off the High Street, just by taking part in their simple survey.

The survey invites independent business owners to say what you think is the future of independent businesses in your local area.

To take the survey: click here

After the rise of the beard during lockdown in 2020, with many growing their facial hair for the first time, lockdown 3.0 sees a new trend; the bushy beard.

Popular in the 70s, the laid-back bushy beard is a classical style that can look dramatic if cared for. Already a favourite with George Clooney, Zac Efron and Michael Sheen, the bushy beard is easy to grow and covers a multitude of sins. However, they need to be looked after and trimmed so they don’t get totally out of control.

Session stylist and owner of Joe and Co, London, Joe Mills, says the bushy beard is the perfect anecdote to lockdown 3.0. “During the first lockdown, many men grew a beard for the first time, investing in beard trimmers and oils. I think this reflected how we all behaved – we embraced new skills, new fashions and new ways of working. People were enjoying embracing their natural texture, growing out their hair lengths or trying to cut their own fringes. However, for this lockdown, the feeling is more of frustration, boredom or being unfocused and so the bushy beard sums up their feelings.

“George Clooney, Hugh Jackman and Michael Sheen have all stepped out with bushy beards lately. The thicker the beard, the bigger it looks. This time round, rather than trimmed to round the face, it’s trimmed to make sure it doesn’t get out of control. And beard oils and serums ensure it doesn’t dry out or become too frizzy.”

Joe Mills top tips for lockdown 3.0 beards

1 Growing a big beard takes time – so you need to be patient.

2 Have a beard oil on hand – it can prevent breakage, and makes it look and feel healthier.

3 Daily grooming is essential so invest in a quality beard comb or beard brush. You also need to look at cleansing as well. Invest in a decent beard wash and conditioner as it will make all the difference.

4 Keep the moustache trimmed and shaped; big and bushy think Magnum PI, or short and neat AKA Freddie Mercury.

5 Trim it regularly with hair scissors to prevent it getting out of control and invest in a trimmer and take your time when trimming.

If ever there was a health and safety warning to take heed of, it’s this! A Boston area barber is lucky to be alive after he fell onto the scissors he was holding at work.

The freak accident happened on February 12. Surveillance footage provided by Boston Barber Co. shows Steve Silva slip and fall onto the scissors he was holding and accidentally stab himself in the chest. The image shown here is Steve, seconds before his fall.

According to Boston Barber Co. owner Rob Dello Russo, Silva required open heart surgery and is currently in the ICU, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

“The entire Boston Barber Co. is grateful for the fast actions of emergency responders,” Russo wrote in an email to Boston 25 News. “Steve’s doctors have told him he was extremely lucky he was able to get to hospital as fast as he did, or it could have had a different outcome.”

Russo added that Silva had just returned to work after being laid-off for portions of the last year due to the pandemic.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for Silva to cover medical expenses and his time off of work. So far, more than $17,000 has been raised.