Dear Readers,
As I compose my notes to write this letter, I’m looking out my office window at the chilly rain and thinking about 2012’s unusually warm spring. Last April, it was close to 80 degrees and things were already greening up. This year, I see only a few buds on the trees and nothing but brown grass. What’s yet to be determined is how this year’s weather will affect our industry’s sales for the first six months of 2013.
Each month, I speak to operators of small salons, medium and large chains, to get some feedback on what is happening in our industry. First quarter results indicate that customer numbers were down anywhere between 8-12 percent, resulting in sales being down between 4-12 percent. Hopefully, with cooler weather holding out until late March, the second quarter will make up some ground.
My conversations with operators over the last two weeks were very positive … most reporting that customers and sales were up for the last two weeks of March and first week of April. If you’re not one of the salon operators who are willing to share some general overview numbers with IST, I encourage you to reach out to me at vince@istmagazine.com and join this group; the larger the sample, the more accurate the numbers will be.
It’s all about numbers, and IST Magazine offers business-building opportunities to get your numbers UP, such as our Sun is Life® Webinar Series. Don’t miss out on this FREE tool to help you run your business. Hundreds of salon pros are getting tons of valuable information. This month, there are three sessions that focus on “Sustaining Sales & Profits Beyond Peak Season” (see pg. 85). You really should log on and check it out.
We’re thrilled that thousands of tanning pros have checked out Sun is Life Training and Certification and have chosen to take their salons to the next level of professionalism. I’m sure you noticed this month’s issue was wrapped with a “belly band” advertising a special offer for $30 off Sun is Life Certification. I want to thank our sponsors for making it possible – special thanks to our Diamond Sponsor, Devoted Creations, for helping you to save some money and benefit from this amazing program.
The teams at so many companies in our industry are committed to helping you succeed in business – nearly 20 of them are profiled in this month’s Cover Story, “Meet the Makers”. With all manufacturing sectors represented, this group’s combined industry experience totals nearly 500 years!
You’ll meet plenty of key industry members at this year’s premier event: JK-North America’s West Coast Tanning Expo on June 10-11. I hope to see you at this co-hosted, must-attend show that will feature mid-season product releases, education, entertainment, great prizes, free stuff … plus, it’s Vegas, Baby!
Another quick trip worth making is to join me, other industry leaders and the rest of ITA’s Board of Directors in Washington, D.C. for the Industry Summit and Capitol Hill Day on May 21-22. You’ll get a chance to connect with elected officials from your home state to discuss issues, such as the Tan Tax, that are negatively impacting our businesses. I urge you to participate – contact the ITA for more information.
“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
