The outlook for the salon/spa industry is improving, according to the Professional Beauty Association’s Salon/Spa Performance Index (SSPI), a quarterly composite index that tracks the health of the industry. A few uplifting results from the latest report:
  • The SSPI stood at 101.8 in the second quarter of 2009, up 0.7 percent from it’s first quarter level.
  • The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in five industry indicators (service sales, retail sales, customer traffic, employees and capital expenditures) stood at 99.7 percent in the second quarter, up 0.9 percent for the first quarter level.
  • 39 percent of salon/spa owners reported an increase in same-store service sales between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009.
  • Although the overall retail sales picture improved somewhat in the second quarter, salon/spa owners continued to report lower retail sales volume.
  • 38 percent of owners reported an increase in customer traffic between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009, while only 31 percent said their customer traffic levels declined.
  • 28 percent of salon/spa owners said they added employees between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009, while 23 percent said they reduced staffing levels.
  • In contrast, 24 percent of owners said they cut employee hours between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009, while only 15 percent increased employee hours.
  • The Expectations Index, which measures salon spa owners’ six month outlook for the five industry indicators stood at 103.9 percent, up 0.6 percent from its first quarter level.
  • 51 percent of owners said they expect to have higher retail sales in six months, and 63 percent said they expect economic conditions to improve in six months.
The full SSPI and second quarter Salon/Spa Tracking Survey Report can be found at probeauty.org.

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