City Centre, town, village etc etc???

[Sparkleberry]

Hi Everyone!

What location you would consider is a better trading option when opening up a salon? City centre/village/town/stand alone premises etc? Im just curious really as to what everyones views are, and for those of you who have done it, why did you come to the conclusion that your chosen location was better than the other options....if that makes any sense?!

Thankyou

 

[jes]

I have a city centre salon and here's a list of observations;

• Lots of passing trade and no need to advertise.
• People either call in before or after they go shopping, which means they're all dressed up, which means I don't do so well with waxing and spray tans but I get lots of trade from nails and sunbeds etc
• Takings are down on Saturdays and school holidays, I believe this is because the majority of my female clients are in the city with there children/families.

HTH
Jes

 

[Martin Duffy]

I've worked in town, city & village salons. When I worked in a city there was as has been said lots of passing trade, however I found that the percentage of return custom compared to town/village salons was low - this could have just been me, but I wonder whether it's the transient nature of city life? I also found long appointments were generally out of the question as they were always rushing!

In towns & villages people know about you very quickly because of word of mouth (nearly all my clients come to me this way) & 9 out of 10 of my clients return to me. I have found I have more regular loyal customers than when I worked in a city, and I do a lot more high value long appointments.

 

[StudioTracker]

I think this also depend on who you are trying to market to. For example, if you are trying to price your services at the higher end of the price spectrum you would be better off in an upmarket commuter village, whereas if you're trying to attract more customers with lower prices perhaps certain locations with in a city would be more appropriate?

 

[RedAdmiral]

I agree with Lauren it depends on what type of salon YOU have.
City - You could be one in a million (this could work for or against you), lots of different type of people, people only commute there and dont hand around etc.
Town - established community, booming or stagnate depending on housing developement, easy to make your mark
Village - locals choose to accept or decline you, limited to number of residents, would you drive to a village just because a salon was good?

I'm in a town, I'd like to next try a city tho rents would be crazy. My salon would do well in Dublin if only I could pick it up and drop it in Dublin for a week to see how I'd get on.........

 

[The Pink Orange]

Hi Everyone!

What location you would consider is a better trading option when opening up a salon? City centre/village/town/stand alone premises etc? Im just curious really as to what everyones views are, and for those of you who have done it, why did you come to the conclusion that your chosen location was better than the other options....if that makes any sense?!

Thankyou

Hi, I am in the process of opening a salon in a large town. I have chosen a town centre street but off the main retail area due to price. From my experiance so far (which is little!) market research is vital. I am being supported by the Prince's Trust, they have been invaluable as has the Business Link website. If you are thinking about starting your own business they will definatly help! Good luck

 

[tog]

I went for a location close to where I had a client base ( I was renting a room). Obviously I wanted my existing clients to be able to find their way to the new salon easily, so that when I started there I had money coming in right away. It's based within spitting distance of a shopping centre and has it's own parking which is helpful.