When can I open my Salon again in the UK?

The COVID-19 pandemic caught everyone off guard. Overnight, salons across the country were forced to close their doors, with no indication when they might be able to reopen again. It has been an incredible journey for salon owners, and it isn’t even over yet

The Government recently announced some easing of the restrictions, but sadly salons are still not allowed to accept customers. Salons are allowed to open for customers to collect orders, but customers are still not allowed inside your salon. You should also maintain social distancing of 2m.

When can I reopen my salon?

The latest advice from the Government is that salons will not be able to reopen to customers before 4th July. But this doesn't mean that you will definitely be able to throw open your doors and host a grand reopening on this day. Instead, you should be cautiously optimistic about the possibility of being able to open from this date.

If you are able to open on this date, you will need to have completed a risk assessment. This is to ensure every salon considers how they will manage social distancing and how they will minimise the risk of spreading the virus. You might need to think about the following:

• How will you keep customers at least 2m apart?
• How will you protect your workers?
• How will you clean your premises and make sure standards are upheld?

When will I know for sure?

The Government has stated that certain conditions will need to be met before salons, in particular, can reopen. This means that you might not know if you can reopen until the week before. Dentists were given very short notice that they would be able to reopen, so it’s a good idea to keep your plans flexible.

How can I start preparing now?

There are some steps you can take now that will ensure your business is in the best possible shape when you can reopen. Remember that it won’t be “business as usual” for a while, so you should expect to be working at a lower capacity than usual.

• Think about the layout of your salon. If you have to keep customers 2m apart, how can you maximise the space available? You might need to rearrange some of the furniture to enable you to stick to the 2m rule.
• You might want to consider temporarily removing your waiting area. Keeping a waiting area clean will just be another thing to worry about, and it will also increase the number of people inside the building. Creating an outdoor waiting area might be a good idea.
• With fewer chairs available, could you extend your opening hours to increase capacity? Split your team into a morning shift and an afternoon shift so that you minimise the contact between staff members.
• You will no longer be able to serve refreshments, so the money saved on tea and coffee could be redirected towards PPE. You will need disposable masks, gloves, gowns, hand wash and visors. Due to the additional costs that will be will be accrued by PPE, increasing your rates by 5% to offset this may be something to consider.
• Your team will need specialist training to ensure that everyone knows what is expected. They will need to wash their hands regularly, clean down their work station thoroughly between customers, and ensure they do not come to work if they have any symptoms. Some salons are thinking about introducing temperature checks on staff to keep everyone safe. 
• Could you start accepting provisional bookings? We’ve mentioned in previous blogs that it would be a good idea to open up your booking system once you have a clear date. Use your Salon Iris text alerts to let your customers know that you’re accepting bookings. 

How should I plan financially?

The Government announced that it would extend both the furlough scheme and the self-employed income support scheme. The furlough scheme will ensure those affected by the coronavirus outbreak will continue to receive 80% of their monthly salary, up to £2,500. The Self Employed Income Support Scheme has been extended to August, and self-employed workers will receive 70% of their average monthly profits up to £2,500 per month.

Government grants and loans

There are also government grants and loans available which may help you to get back on your feet. There is expected to be a huge spike in demand for salon services as soon as appointments are available again. But with many salons expected to be operating at 50% capacity, this might not be as lucrative as it once was. Salons will also be providing services to those who purchased gift certificates during the lockdown, which means some appointments will bring in no additional income.

Until you can operate at full capacity, we recommend keeping a close eye on your finances, making the most of government available, and starting to generate some buzz around your reopening. You won’t be going back to “business as usual for a while, but with a potential opening date on the horizon, you can start to feel a little more optimistic.