The journey in the salon industry has been fantastic for Amelia Daswani, Founder, London Blow Dry Bar and also a renowned celebrity make-up & hairstyle expert. Amelia is happy to embrace franchise model for her salon brand and is soon opening more salons across Mumbai. Amelia recently completed the cover shoot for Maxim with Ranvir Singh & Elena Fernandes. We spoke to her on her brand’s expansion via franchise route and also what new trends can we expect in the new year.
How do you choose your franchisees? Any specific criteria?
Yes, our partners should have at least 2 years of experience in the hair and beauty industry. Also, being able to get along with them and being able to share a great rapport with them is ideal as we work closely with all our franchisees and partners.
What is the one biggest challenge for your industry and how do you plan to overcome it?
The biggest challenge is growing competition. We try to stand out by being different from our competitors. We train all our staff to be professional and provide great customer service at all times. Our entire staff members can work at the reception as well as work as a stylist or makeup artist. The services we provide are also very different from the local salons. We are like an express hair & make-up studio, so once the customer walks into the studio for make-up or hairstyling they are out within 30 to 40 minutes, not having to worry anything about their looks.
Your expansion plans for coming year?
We have a very robust plan for the approaching year. We look forward to open 6 franchise stores by next year and also plan to sell more of our own in house makeup and hair products.
Your views on franchising as a business model? In which cities do you wish to open more franchise stores in India now?
Franchise model is something that we are very pro about. It is just like giving a person with the capacity to invest in a business model or product line with the right platform to associate with. This is a win-win situation for both the parties according to us. Currently we are looking at expanding in Mumbai and our branches will be opening in breach Candy, Juhu and Powai.
Do you think being a celebrity makeup expert gives you an added benefit to run a successful salon franchise business?
Yes, being a celebrity makeup and hairstylist does give me an advantage because I get to meet a lot of people who end up coming into my salon so the networking definitely helps and also people trust my London Blow Dry bar brand because they trust my work and me.
What new trends we can expect in the industry by 2018?
We see a trend of awareness by one and all about fashion so everyone knows what looks good on them and what they want to go for. More of Customisation and a-la-carte will be seen in terms of fashion business of looks. The customer would walk in telling the exact specification, like colour of hair she is looking for or make-up look she wants. So, businesses that will understand these aspects and fill this gap will be the ones that will offer great opportunities in the coming year.
