Hair by Tesco! Supermarket giant takes on Boots with in-store salons offering cut-price treatments
Supermarket giant Tesco this week upped the stakes among its rivals with the launch of a series of new in-store beauty salons.
The salons - currently being trialled at Tesco Extra stores in Dudley, Horwich and Newport - will offer a range of beauty treatments from leg waxing to brow shaping and haircutting instore.
But there are fears the retail giant - which has more than 2000 stores in the UK - will force local salons to close as the massive supermarket chain moves into the beauty market.
Dudley's Tesco Extra has developed its beauty department, installing a salon as well as Test & Play areas where customers can trail products
Treatments at the supermarket will be provided in a partnership with Regis beauty salons, and will be organised on a drop-inbasis only, no bookings will be taken.
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We are making life as simple as possible for our customers, explains Karen ! Davis, T escos Category Buying Manager for beauty. Its just another good reason to shop at Tesco.
Quick trim? Customers will be able to get their hair cut at the same time as they shop for their groceries
But critics have slammed the move, saying that Tesco offering such services can only harm local beauty salon owners who are already struggling in the current climate.
One salon owner, who preferred not to be named, said they were fearful of losing customers to Tesco.
'These are tough times, and we are already struggling. We are cutting our prices every month to retain our recession-hit customers. If any of our customers are lured away by even lower prices, it'll really hit our bottom line.'
Elsewhere though, another was confident that customers would always return.
'Ten per cent of our customers will try the Tesco salons, I'm sure, but ultimately people will stick with what they know.
'Customers like getting their nails done by one person, they get used to going to a specific therapist.
'I'm not saying people won't move across, but we're confident they'll come back to us.'
Spray tan: Tesco will offer a spray tan service for 15 at its in-store salons, as well as 12.50 haircuts
Tesco believes the new salons will create a glut of new jobs with the expansion of the stores to provide the new health and beauty services.
As part of the major development of itsbeauty departments, Tesco has also expanded its limited beauty range to accommodate 700 new products, with 24 new prestige brands to include products by Crabtree& Evelyn, beauty and skincare by Australian brand Natio and premium tanning products by St Tropez.
The products will be available online, as well as in selected stor! es, wher e beauty sections willbe laid out more akin to those in department stores, with dedicated cosmetics counters run by expert advisors and 'test and play' areas where shoppers can trial products.
The salons will be open seven days a week, from 10am until 8pm on weekdays, and until 4pm on Sundays. Services are expected to include a 5 eyebrow shape, a 10 leg wax and a spray tan for 15.
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