A Partner in Business and in Life
At Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty, Director of Operations Natasha McMillen helps bring her wife Janet St. Paul's vision to life, elevating every system from education to operations.
by Stacey Soble
Salon Today 200: RETAIL
Boosting retail sales is the easiest way for salons to grow their profitability. These ST200 honorees have perfected their retail systems, meticulously trained staff members and designed competitions to keep team spirit alive.
by Salon Today Staff
January 2, 20106 min to read
Ginger Bay Salon and Spa
St Louis, MO
Gingerbay.com
Laura Ortmann and Jeffrey Evenson
SQUARE FEET: 10,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 68
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $15.24
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OFSALES: 19%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aveda
COLOR LINE: Aveda
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/ Millennium
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“Our retail sales have shown double-digit growth for both ’07 and ‘08 and, in ’09, we’re 1 percent over ’08 Our top retailers are often paired with struggling retailers and asked to mentor for a period of time, based on the team leads recommendation. The staffer being mentored is required to take notes, observe, ask questions and then create a list of all the tips.”
The Hair Company
Leonardtown, MD
thehaircompany.biz
Jackie Buckler and Debbie Link
SQUARE FEET: 3,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $14.87
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 19%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $43
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Redken, Pureology
COLOR LINE: Redken
SALON SOFTWARE: Envision
“We use ‘tiff’ contests to boost random sales. Each time a particular product is sold, the service provider receives an immediate payout of 20 percent in cash. For example, we may put our basic make-up kit on the ‘tiffs’ promo for the day or week. Each time they sell one of these kits ($60), they are immediately handed $12.”
Jade Aveda Salon
Greensboro, NC
jadelifestyle.com
Mark and Rhonda Pedersen
SQUARE FEET: 1,700/1,800 (two locations)
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $22.24
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 44%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $53
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aveda
COLOR LINE: Aveda
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/ Millennium
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, Aveda Lifestyle Lifeline
“At our daily huddles, a fun component is ‘product of the day’. We have a grab bag and someone from the team picks out a product to discuss each morning. Written on the paper they draw is the name of a product, key ingredients, main purpose and who should and shouldn’t use it. A key component of the discussion is best sales practices of that product.”
Nutur the Salon
Columbus, OH
nurtursalon.com
Patrick Thompson
SQUARE FEET: 4,219
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 31
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TlCKET: $16.91
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 37%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $34
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aveda
COLOR LINE: Aveda
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/Millennium
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“We encourage staff to be successful with retail by rewarding them with education dollars that can be earned, collected and redeemed. If there is an education class that interests our team members, they can ‘cash in’ their dollars. We are currently waking on a Partners-in-Profit program, as we see 120-150 retail-only guests per week, we have an opportunity to drive our retail business further.”
Salon Art-Tiff
Ephrata, PA
salonarttiff.com
Sue Burkholder
SQUARE FEET: 4,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $30.12
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 19%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE; $34
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: L’Oréal, Brocato, private label
COLOR LINE: L’Oréal
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/Millennium
ASSOCIATIONS: NCA, PBA
“Our needs assessment scripting starts at the beginning of the consultation with five questions. When was the last time you loved your hair? What do you like most about your hair? What challenges are you currently having with your hair? What products are you using? Are you happy with the results?"
The Studio for Hair
Farmington Hills, MI
thestudioforhair.com
Natalie Sikora, Kenneth Sikora and Tasha Schurgin
SQUARE FEET: 1,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 16
AVERAGE RETAIL VTICKET: $8.95
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 11%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: 157
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Eufora, Aquage, Joico
COLOR LINE: Farouk
SALON SOFTWARE: Mikal
ASSOCIATION: ABCH
“To keep our staff motivated, we pay retail commissions in a tiered format. Stylists must sell a minimum of $200 in a two-week period to receive this commission. $200-$499= 5%, $500- $700=7%, $800 and above =10%. Stylists must track what their retail per client numbers are. They are required to turn in these sheets to earn their percentage.”
Salon Laurie and Company
Baltimore, MD
salonlaurie.com
Laune Kvech Schroeder
SQUARE FEET: 2,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 21
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $17
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 16%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $63
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aquage. Alterna, private label
COLOR LINE: Caldwell
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/Millennium
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“One or our incentive programs involves the opportunity to earn ‘company bucks’ that reward retail performance. Each quarter, I hold an auction, where the team members bid against one another for various prizes, such as product of their choice, a prime parking space, gift cards to restaurants, or tools. The most sought after prize is a paid day off.”
Salon Visio
Hood River, OR
salonvisio.com
James Entwisle and Stan Aaberg
SQUARE FEET: 1,252
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 3
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $17
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 32%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Aveda, Bumble and bumble. Oribe
COLOR LINES: Aveda, Goldwell
SALON SOFTWARE: Salon Advantage
“Recently, Oribe had an event consisting of a styling session with Oribe and a professionally photographed styling session with individual models. The stylist from our team who sold the most Oribe retail received airfare to New York and the hotel stay. Sales lasted six weeks and generated way more than enough profit to pay for the trip, in addition to excitement in the salon from our guests, as well as our team members.”
Wisteria Salon Spa
Greenville, SC
wisteriasalonspa.com
Jodie Reece
SQUARE FEET: 3.500/3,100 (two locations)
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 52
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $24.31
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 17%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aveda
COLOR LINE: Aveda
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/ Millennium
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, INYU
“Our Be Curly Aveda product competition was fun and successful. Management made a poster of a girl with long straight hair made out of construction paper. Each time a team member sold a Be Curly product, a straight hair was replaced with a curly hair with the staff member’s name on it. Our Be Curly line sales definitely increased.”
Zanya Spa Salon Corp.
Lambertville, NJ
zanyaspasalon.com
Zanya Gissler
SQUARE FEET: 6,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 45
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $15
RETAIL AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 15%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $68
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Aveda, L’Oréal. Moroccanoil
COLOR LINE: L’Oréal
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/Millennium
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“One of the most successful retail competitions we’ve had was called ‘The Apprentice’. We had two teams and the winning team got a four-day stay in Scottsdale, AZ. The competition lasted six weeks, and we sold more than $10,000 in retail sales—a 9-percent increase.”
Additional Honorees
Beau Monde Spalon, St. Johns, FL
Bell Tower Salon, MediSpa and Store, Wyomissing, PA
Changes Hair Studio and Spa, Kamloops, British Columbia
Hair on the Avenue, Sinking Spring, PA
Haircolorxperts-Parktowne, Charlotte, NC
Karen Allen Salon and Spa, Riverside, CA
Landis Lifestyle Salon, Salt Lake City, UT
Mane Attraction Salon, Phoenix, AZ
Maximum FX Salons Spas, Austin, TX
Payton Place Salon, North Little Rock, AR
Pure Aveda Salonspa. Mount Dora, FL
Samuel Cole Salon, Raleigh, NC
Savvy Salon and Day Spa, Cornelius, NC
Valentino’s Grande Salon, Whitby, Ontario
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