Before Coronavirus hit, the hairdressing industry was worth £6.6 billion according to the Telegraph. The past eight months has seen that number plummet, and while we were all booked to the brim on 4th July, that initial rush has slowed down vastly.
Chairs are empty, which the Telegraph says many hairdressers are putting this down to a drop in hospitality, socialising and going out in general. People are perhaps just less bothered about getting ‘dolled up’, as a recent survey by the NHFB told us three in four salons and barbershops reported that business was down compared to the same time last year. (You can read more on this survey here). “Coupled with the huge overheads of running a bricks and mortar business and 20 percent VAT on all treatments, the UK’s 50,000 hair salons need help. It’s little wonder [hairdressers] feel like a forgotten sector,” says the Telegraph.
To try to help get the industry back on its feet, today sees the launch of the “Chop The VAT” campaign being led by the new hairdressing sub-committee of the British Beauty Council, comprised of Britain’s best-known British hairdressers, including George Northwood, Josh Wood, Luke Hersheson and Nicola Clarke (who between them tend to the tresses of the Duchess of Sussex, Madonna, Victoria Beckham and Sienna Miller.)
The main goal of the Committee is to push the Government to cut the VAT from 20 percent to 5 percent for hair salons. It is the same drop that has already been applied to the hospitality sector, which is helping to keep restaurants and pubs in business. And it can happen, according to Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council.
To find out more about the campaign please visit https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news/hairdressers-call-vat-cut-5-percent-survive-winter/.
