To support new and existing customers and allow them to expand their business, Booksy has created a new Mobile Services feature, allowing barbers, stylists and other beauty professionals to being their services to their clients’ home. 

Businesses can set their own fully customizable travel area and gives you the power to set up fees, pricing, and location-related accommodations for travel requests. Through Mobile Services, you will have the power to confirm every appointment to make sure it is within your reach.  

The new feature comes as, although barbers and salons have been open for weeks and months in some areas, many clients may still be reluctant to step out for a haircut or trim in a bid to avoid crowded spaces. 

Mobile Services allows you to provide your clients with the same high-quality service from the comfort of their own home, allowing them to feel safe and secure while providing you with an additional income stream. 

To find out more about Mobile Services, visit www.booksy.com 

Following from yesterday’s announcement from the First Minister, barbershops and hairdressers will be allowed to open from Wednesday 15th July.

Today, the Scottish government has published guidelines for hair professionals and other close contact services.

Barbers and stylists have been advised to follow the UK Government’s Guidance for Close Contact Services, however, face coverings or masks will be mandatory for both clients and staff in Scotland.

The key points of the UK Government guidance are to:

• encourage clients to use hand sanitiser or handwashing facilities as they enter the premises or before treatment
• calculate the maximum number of clients that can reasonably follow social distancing guidelines and limiting the number of appointments at any one time
• when booking an appointment, ask the client if they can attend on their own, where possible
• remind clients who are accompanied by children that they are responsible for supervising them at all times and should follow social distancing guidelines
• operate an appointment-only system
• maintaining social distancing in waiting areas
• when waiting areas can no longer maintain social distancing, consider using a ‘one-in-one-out’ policy
• encourage clients to arrive at the time of their appointment
• ask anyone suffering COVID-19 related symptoms NOT to attend appointments

For more information, click here.

At exactly 12.01am on Saturday 4th July, Tom Baxter picked up his clippers and began working on his first client in over three months.

That first hair cut was on Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers, who had been growing his hair throughout lockdown in support of Tom and The International Hair Alliance – a social media group to support hairdressers and barbers during the lockdown.

Working in two shifts, Tom and his team kept the doors of his newly refurbished shop open for 24 hours, with money from all beard and haircuts between 12.01am and 6.00am going to the NHS via the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Through this initiative, Tom was able to raise an incredible £2,500. He said: “Thank you to every single loyal customer that has stuck by us during lockdown. We know it has been hard for some, but we are excited to be back and making people feel good. The NHS have done an amazing job at protecting us against the virus, this is our way of giving a little something back, giving up our time is the most precious thing you can give back.”

Sam Wall is helping to shape the future of the hair industry by creating one of the UK’s first hairdressing membership services with the launch of 5:AM, a subscription available at a monthly or annual cost, giving members access to services, products and discounts, offering significant savings against paying face value.

Through this membership package, clients will be able to secure priority bookings for sought-after appointments with Sam at his base in Hidden Heights Creative Studio in Gateshead, alongside regular discounts.

Sam said: “The value of a great haircut or style cannot be underestimated, but the hairdressing industry needs to innovate to make sure they’re making that accessible. In these very challenging times, we need to make sure we’re offering both excellent service and value, and giving our clients the incentive to come to us as often as they would like.

“I created 5:AM…so it works for the client and the stylist alike. I have spoken to a number of leading names in the industry prior to its launch and they agree this is highly likely to be the future of our profession and membership will probably soon become commonplace in the UK. Already, in the first few days of 5:AM, the response has been phenomenal. It’s great to be at the forefront of this emerging phenomenon in UK hairdressing.”

To find our more, visit mrsamwall.co.uk

The official industry charity – Hair & Beauty Charity, has seen a staggering 78% increase in requests for financial support during the COVID-19 crisis.

With thousands of hair, beauty and barber salons closed and industry professionals unable to work for three months, there was a tremendous increase in requests for help from the industry charity during this crisis, “although we’re grateful that the hair and barbering sector can return to work on 4^th July, there are still thousands of beauty professionals in limbo, not knowing when they can start to operate and start working again. We’ve helped a huge amount of people over the last 3 months, but we aren’t over the crisis and the need for urgent financial help yet. The charity was established in 1853 to help those in financial need and never before have we had to support the industry in such a manner.” explains President, Samantha Grocutt.

The charity has been working tirelessly to help those who need it the most through unprecedented times. Even though the charity has experienced a major loss of income with several of its fundraising activities and events being cancelled, it has been able to support beneficiaries through setting up a Relief Fund that has currently raised £30,000 during the crisis.

During April to June 2020, the charity saw an extraordinary 78% increase in requests for help. In the first month of lockdown the charity saw its monthly expenditure rise by 105%. Financially, the charity has distributed over £60,000 to beneficiaries during the crisis; an increase of 75% year on year.

The Hair & Beauty Charity was first established in 1853 as the Hairdresser’s Orphan Fund and has continued to support hair and beauty professionals who have been affected by illness, disability, bereavement, or financial hardship. With over 300 applicants requesting help each year and an increase in requests during the current crisis, the charity depends on support of the industry to enable help for those who need it most.

“The stats speak for themselves; this time last year we were helping 94 beneficiaries but we’re now helping 167 beneficiaries, which is a huge increase for a small charity, especially as fundraising is very hard to do during the crisis. Although we expected some of the new beneficiaries to be short term, we are already seeing the need to extend the support, especially to those working in the beauty industry as they can’t return to work yet. It’s a very worrying time. It’s been wonderful to see the support the charity is getting from the industry and we’ve been grateful to companies and people who have donated to our Relief Fund so far, but the crisis is still happening and we will continue to help our industry as we have for over 150 years, ’” concludes Hair & Beauty Charity President, Samantha Grocutt.

The Hair and Barber Council has announced a new list of affiliates, including BarberEVO, who are working together for the sole benefit of the industry moving forward.

These new affiliates include IHAA, HABIA, MHFed, British Master Barbers, British Barber Association, Good Salon Guide, The Professional Hairdresser and Hairdressers Journal International.

These affiliates, along with the council’s members and sponsors, are 100% committed to supporting The Hair and Barber Council and its beauty partner, BABTAC (British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology) in their campaign and cause to get the hair, barber and beauty industry legislated, but lobbying the Government to amend the current voluntary Act of Parliament (held in statue by The Hair and Barber Council to mandatory.

Registrar of the council, Keith Conniford, said: “I am absolutely delighted that these organisations are working together with us, they are huge supporters of the work we do, and already help us in many ways, whilst adding more strength and status to ‘shaping the future together’ for our incredible industry.”

BarberEVO is delighted to support The Hair and Barber Council as an affiliate. Over the course of lockdown, it has been an honour to host Keith Conniford, and a number of other representatives from this affiliate list, to our EVOLive sessions and our Round Table, which have prompted some fantastic discussions surrounding regulation and the other issues facing our industry. We look forward to continuing to provide our support wherever possible.

Unfortunately, due to the extended lockdown imposed in Leicester, Barrie Stephen Hair will be unable to reopen on Saturday along with other barbershops.

Luckily, Barrie is keeping positive, re-deploying team members and clients to bring further extension to his opening hours in his other locations that, whilst in Leicestershire, fall outside of the boundary for lockdown.

Barrie said, “It was pretty devastating for us as we were just all so pumped up to open across the whole group and of course we have had to cancel thousands of appointments and try to reschedule and accommodate them elsewhere within the business.

“But I’ve got an incredible team and somehow we are managing (my consumption of red wine went up fairly sharply at the weekend!) but I am working hard not to let it dampen my spirits for the rest of the group!”

Elsewhere, to keep business booming and his clients taken care of during lockdown, Barrie has been focusing on online retail, bringing a boost to business while providing his clients with easy access to salon-quality luxury products.

To find out more about Barrie Stephen, visit www.barriestephenhair.co.uk

Stephen Price has been appointed Managing Director of Takara Belmont (UK) Ltd as of Wednesday 1st July, as current MD Takashi Hoshina returns to Japan to take on an international role within the corporation. Stephen previously held the position of Director since 2006.

Mr Hoshina said: “During my tenure here at TBUK, we have achieved many things and made great progress… We have had to adjust our strategy for Brexit and today we are facing huge challenges with the Coronavirus, but we will come through this together. My new job in Takara Belmont is to integrate to our international business in USA and Europe, which I am optimistic towards because of what I have learned from the UK in the past 8 years. We are fortunate to have someone of Stephen’s calibre and experience to lead Takara Belmont UK. Stephen has a solid understanding of our products and markets, a proven track record and is strong communicator with deep leadership capabilities.”

Stephen added: “We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead.”

We wish both Stephen and Takashi the best of luck in their new roles.

For the past 100 days, Adee Pheelan has been collecting and donating £870,000 retail products to 46 NHS hospitals across England, but this week marks the last of ‘Phase One’ of his programme.

For his final week, he has created brand new gift boxes honouring his beloved Liverpool Football Club, personally delivering gift sets to Aintree Hospital and Liverpool Royal.

As Phase 1 comes to an end, Phase 2 begins! The second phase will involve opening four pop-up shops in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London, with the London shop due to open on July 13th. The pop-ups will provide haircuts to NHS staff completely free of charge, with over 3,000 stylists already signed up to work for free across the pop-ups.

Although the rent for the pop-ups is free, there are a number of other overhead costs involved, so Adee is looking for sponsors to help support him bring his mission to life.

To find out more about the project or if you think you could provide sponsorship, get in touch with Adee via Instagram @adee_phelan_5 or if you can spare a few pounds, donate via his Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/adee-phelan-nhs-pop-up-shop

A recent update from the NHBF has announced that the local lockdown imposed on Leicester has resulted in a delay to barbershop reopenings in the local area.

Shops in Leicester will now NOT be able to open on the 4th of July as with the rest of England. More information can be found on the Leicester City Council website here.

At present, the lockdown is to be extended for at least two weeks due to the peak in cases in the area.

It has also been announced that Northern Ireland will be adopting the official UK government guidelines for safe reopening of salons and barbershops, while Scotland and Wales are yet to announce if they will be publishing their own.