The number of hairdressers closing their doors in France is on the rise as businesses struggle to cope with rising costs and dwindling customer numbers.
The number of hairdressing salons that closed in the final quarter of 2024 increased by 26% compared to the same period in the previous year according to a report by business analysts Altares.
Several hairdressers – including some institutions that have been open for more than 20 years – are now faced with the threat of closure.
“Times are tough, and some months there's not enough income to pay the bills,” said one Parisian hairdresser to media outlet Le Figaro.
Households are tightening belts
The end of last year – and the beginning of 2025 – seem to be particularly difficult for the sector.
However, it has been under increasing threat since the start of the Covid pandemic, primarily as consumer habits shift.
“Customers are coming less and less often. We've felt it strongly [in the sector] since September, and it hasn't gotten any better… it’s tough,” said president of France’s hairdressing union Christophe Doré.
“There's a real downturn,” Mr Doré added, as haircuts “become secondary for households,” that now have less to spend on extra ‘luxury items’ such as frequent haircuts.
“We can see that the purchasing power of the French has fallen, and that there is a rise in savings, no doubt linked to international geopolitics,” he added.
This has led to consumer habits changing – for example, fewer women are choosing to dye grey hair as the cost becomes too much for their household budget.
On top of dwindling customer numbers, rising costs – of rent, electricity, and products – has lead to further squeezes that for many salons leaves profit margins too low to stay open.
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New hairdressers hard to find
The sector is struggling across France – from larger cities where rents are pushing hairdressers out to small villages where clients are spending less – and there is a decline in the number of new hairdressers.
“When I started out, everyone wanted to do this job, but now it no longer attracts anyone,” said one hairdresser in western France.
Up to 10,000 hairdressers are missing from the profession despite the struggles it is facing.
In part caused by the struggles the sector is facing, young hairdressers are also less enthusiastic about the role.
Long working hours – including on Saturdays – and the level of concentration required for several hours at a time is pushing younger people away.
“They arrive with sparkles in their eyes, and fade as the days go by. They find the job too hard,” said hairdressing trainer Sandrine Prevel to media outlet France3.
This can be another factor for why businesses are struggling.
“Turnover is lower because I cannot find enough employees,” said one hairdresser in the north of France.
“I have put adverts everywhere, but no one has applied,” she added. This is despite offering several bonuses and advantages such as extra days off for hairdressers with children.
For their part, young hairdressers say salaries are too low for the long hours to see the profession as viable in light of other alternatives.
Larger companies fare better
A discrepancy between hairdressing and running a business – with the latter taking a forefront in the tough economic climate – is disproportionately affecting smaller salons, which account for nearly half of all struggling businesses in the sector.
“A lot of hairdressers don't realise the constraints of running a business. They set out on their own and fail because they are two different professions,” said one hairdresser from western France.
Some salons are turning to alternatives, cutting down on the number of hairdressers employed and increasing the range of beauty services and treatments offered, as well as acting as a sales point for products.
In some cases, product sales make up 10% of turnover for a salon.
A glimmer of hope in the sector appears in the form of franchises.
Although they are also struggling “they benefit from invaluable support,” said Mr Doré.
Major hairdresser franchises provide long-lasting support, providing loans to open the business, allow owners to build up capital, and have partnerships with hairdressing schools to provide a stream of new employees.
They also help with the business side of running the salon.
“A hairdresser coming out of training has little or no understanding of accounting and management, so we help them with these issues, including their price increases, which have to keep pace with inflation,” said Franchise director at the Dessange/Camille Albane chain Marie-France Delachaux.
The brand has bucked the trend in, seeing a growth in sales in 2024 whereas the national sector has seen sales plummet.
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