Just Cuts prepares to get back to business

To safely greet clients at the brand's six salons from the first week of July, franchisees have implemented significant safety regulations

As British retailers around the nation prepare to open their doors once again, it’s the hairdressing industry that stands to benefit from the three months of enforced closures. In times of recession and challenge, hair doesn’t stop growing. Just Cuts, the international hair salon franchise with locations in Australia, New Zealand the UK, is more than prepared to welcome clients who are desperate to get back in the salon chair. 

“All our UK salons will be reopening from 4 July, with significant safety and cleanliness measures in place to keep our franchise owners, stylists and clients safe,” explained David Mathie, UK general manager. “We want to thank our loyal clients for keeping in touch and look forward to welcoming them back. We’ve been inundated with messages, asking when we’ll reopen, so imagine there will be a queue around the block come that Saturday morning. If the reopenings in Australia and New Zealand are anything to go by, then that’s what we’re expecting!”

Following a one-month-long period of voluntary closures in Australia and New Zealand, clients couldn’t wait for their first regular haircut in weeks. One client even camped outside her local salon in Queenstown, New Zealand, to guarantee she would be first for her post-quarantine haircut.

To safely greet clients at its six salons from the first week of July, franchisees have implemented significant safety regulations.

“We’ve made considerable alterations to our standard operations, by encouraging card payments and providing our salon owners with PPE and marketing collateral to effectively communicate these restrictions. We’ll also be paying significant attention to our cleaning regimes, enforcing daily deep-cleaning and sterilising stations between every appointment. Adapting to these new rules is certainly going to be challenging for our franchise owners but crucial for the longevity of our brand,” added Mathie. 

Salon doors first closed in the UK on 23 March, when the government enforced a nationwide lockdown. With guidelines imposing a two-metre distance and staying home where possible, salon owners were suddenly faced with the uncertainty of when and, in fact, if their businesses could reopen. Just Cuts took a proactive approach, reassuring its franchisees that these necessary procedures would be implemented to ensure a safe and timely reopening.

Mathie said: “We jumped into action, devising a strategy that would mean our doors could reopen as soon as the government guidelines lifted. This has certainly benefited our franchise owners, as competitors scramble to devise new ways of doing business. In comparison to other industries, hair styling is recession proof, especially when you take into account the affordable price of our Style Cut.

“Despite the lockdown, we’ve been able to keep morale between our network very high, by checking in with them daily and encouraging them to share messages of support for other franchise owners. Now our opening date is fast approaching, stylists can’t wait to get back out on the salon floor and our owners are looking forward to expanding their existing businesses. There’s so much more to come for Just Cuts in the UK this year. Our nationwide reopening on 4 July is the first celebration of many.”