Season’s greetings from everyone at PB&HJI
It goes without saying that it’s been an extraordinary year, which has had many highlights, despite the obvious challenges.
The launch of Professional Beauty and Hairdressers Journal Ireland in March coincided with the global Covid-19 pandemic, so we were delighted to bring you our first number of issues digitally. We also increased our newsletter frequency from bi-weekly to weekly, and launched our webinar series, which has seen us talk to a range of professionals on topics such as business management, salon marketing, health and safety, stress coping skills, insurance, adapting to the ‘new normal’, and much more.
It’s been our pleasure over the course of 2020 to work with the hair, beauty and spa industry, and its representative bodies; helping everyone to stay up to date on all the news, innovations, trends and Government supports, along with all Covid-related information.
While hair, beauty and spa businesses remained closed for over three months during the first lockdown, the sector did an amazing job of continuously educating itself, communicating with clients, and keeping itself in the hearts and minds of the Irish public. When the industry reopened at the end of June, it led the way in terms of its approach to safely managing clients and staff in a changed work environment.
In September, the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation (Habic) published its Economic Value of Hair & Beauty Market in Ireland report, which found that turnover for the hair and beauty sector was estimated at €2.6bn in 2019.
It also found that total employment in the hair and beauty sector was equivalent to 2.1% of total employment in the economy at the end of 2019; and its total contribution to GDP was estimated at €2.79bn. Habic said that the report, which is Ireland’s first and only comprehensive economic one of its kind, would raise the bar within the industry and at Government level.
Since salons got back to business after the second lockdown, many reported being fully booked for the month of December. With a Covid-19 vaccine on the horizon, there’s every reason to be optimistic as we look forward to 2021.
While there may be some uncertainty in the New Year, we know one thing for sure: the Irish hair, beauty and spa industry in 2020 proved itself to be a resilient and powerful force, which plays a hugely important role in Ireland, both economically and societally.
