So Long, Winter!
Dear Readers,
If your salon is located in the Northeast, the brutal weather has played a big role in your decrease in tanner traffic for early 2015. Salons across the country reported that the year started slightly up, and then Mother Nature showed her ugly side and made it difficult or impossible for some people to get through the waist-deep snow that she dumped in February and March. My salons’ tanners and revenue were up in November-January; however, February’s onslaught of sub-zero temps and heavy snowfall hurt my numbers – as of March 10, we’re down by 4% in both tanners and revenue. The good news is that the weather is finally breaking in most of the country. My gut tells me that our numbers will be up in 2015.
In the Cover Story, we look at one of our industry’s most damaging trends: “Under-18 Bans: What it Means for the Industry.” IST Staff Writer Cheryl Dennison reached out for comments about the subject, and talked to salon owners about the impact of under-18 bans. Many in our industry think that the growing number of states considering bans is a sign of troubled times ahead. Take the time to read this article.
Most of us in the tan biz know that the industry has been contracting for over five years. IST Magazine is a periodically-rated publication, which means that we are required to update and certify our mailing list with the USPS to insure its accuracy. In December 2009, there were 20,558 salons and as of December 2014, that number had shrunk to 14,132. There are certainly many reasons for this contraction: the economy, gas prices, negative press, tan bans and poorly managed salons, to name a few. But the salons that have endured the last decade are definitely more professional than those that existed in the 80s. As the provider of the Sun is Life® Training program, I see more salons educating their staff. Don’t give our adversaries more ammunition! Staffing your salon with professional operators is the only way to evolve and survive.
Likewise, IST Magazine must continue to evolve to better serve a more sophisticated reader. You’ll still see your favorite contributed columns and “Salon of Distinction” profiles, but our content will take a more educational focus – articles on social media, legal issues and human resources – written by experts in those fields. On that note, I’m happy to announce that starting in May, IST will welcome two industry experts to our esteemed list of contributing columnists: Jerry Deveney, VP of Business Development at Four Seasons and Melissa Damiani, Sales Manager at SunLync Software. Stay tuned …
And, stay tuned for details of the biggest trade event of 2015 coming to Columbus, OH in September!
