Hair and beauty businesses dominate the high street with record number of openings

More beauty and hair businesses opened in Great Britain last year than ever before, overtaking tea rooms, coffee shops and takeaways in popularity, according to new research by the Local Data Company (LDC).

Barbers, beauty salons and nail salons occupied four of the top 10 slots for new openings last year, with the hair and beauty industry combined seeing the highest number of new businesses in Great Britain, the research found. The top 10 net openings of stores by classification across Britain in 2016 can be seen in the graph (pictured centre).

However, the surge will mean more competition for those who work in the hair and beauty sectors, as Hilary Hall, chief executive of salon trade association the National Hairdressers’ Federation (NHF), explained: “It provides concrete proof that salons and barbershops are facing ever-increasing competition. If they are to survive in such a tough marketplace, business owners will need to work harder than ever before on their brand and client experience to differentiate their business from the many others out there.”

The sectors that saw the greatest number of closures last year were banks, convenience stores, women’s clothing shops, pubs, fashion stores, newsagents and post offices. In terms of location, secondary retail precincts and standalone retail locations saw the highest number of closures, followed by town centres.