marie-louise coster writes
location, location, location
Location is key when opening a salon, explains Marie-Louise Coster.
One of your first considerations when opening a salon has to be the location of it.
As tempting as it is to get all caught up in the moment of wanting to open a salon, finding empty premises and just going for it, you really must give great thought and deliberation to the location as, unlike towels, décor or pricelists, it is not easy to change if you have made a mistake.
So what factors do you need to look at when choosing your salon location? These are in no particular order of importance, however they are all equally important factors...
A desirable and attractive location – this of course is subjective, what is desirable to one person may not be to another and vice versa, but ultimately you want your business to be in an area that is safe, well-lit and somewhere that people want to visit.
Accessibility – is the location easily accessible on foot, by car and on public transport? You have to cater for all modes of transport and ensuring that it is easy for clients to get to will make your salon a much more attractive prospect.
Parking – Is there ample parking? Is it free or is there a charge? Speaking from experience (from when I worked on the road as a sales rep) there is nothing more frustrating than arriving for an appointment and there being nowhere to park, or indeed having to set off 45 minutes early to allow for the fact you may struggle to find somewhere to park. Parking, or lack of it, is a big enough factor to discourage a client from coming to you and finding an alternative salon, regardless of whether or not you offer the most fantastic service. As for cost, a small charge is not usually too much of
Carefully consider your options; particularly your location because with determination you will have that salon in that location for a very long time, says Marie-Louise. Image ©
iStock.com/Lemiuex
an issue as long as there is somewhere to park but what you may choose to do is reimburse your clients for their parking as a gesture of goodwill.
Do you need to be on a busy high street? – There are two schools of thought on this one. On the one hand it is considered that being on a busy high street positioned next to, or near, other retail outlets or services that are always needed e.g. bakers, bank, post office means that you will experience a high footfall of people past your door daily which will result in more people seeing you and becoming more familiar with your business, your brand and your services, resulting in major advertising and recognition. On the other hand a beauty salon, much like a hair salon, works on an appointment system making it more of a destination visit and clients
will travel far and wide for a therapist they trust and have built a relationship with – assuming you tick other boxes like parking and product quality, clean and pleasant interior etc. This of course is great for existing clients but if your salon is quite isolated or remote you will have to work much harder for new clients in order to increase your client base – and ultimately your turnover – as you won’t have the same potential audience walking past the door daily. So with all of that in mind I think it is beneficial to be in, or near to a busy town or built up area so as you have a lot of scope to market the business.
Independent high street v shopping centre – Is there a benefit of one over the other? Although with a shopping centre you may benefit from a high traffic volume of shoppers and visitors
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