Will Supermarket Beauty Treatments Be The End Of The Traditional Beauty Salon?

With the news that supermarket giant Tesco is rolling out 70 of its in-store ‘Your Beauty Salon’ outlets throughout the country, does this mean the ritual of taking a beauty treatment in a traditional spa setting is under threat? Will we be doing the weekly shop and popping in for a massage or a pedicure at the same time?

Following trials at two of its supermarkets, the retail giant certainly believes they can succeed. Andrew Carpenter, Tesco’s beauty category manager explained : “We know beauty treatments are very popular with many people these days and we feel the convenience of great value and quality services from manicures to full waxing and styling could be a success with customers”.

Fine, but can you really see yourself having a bikini wax in aisle 19 just behind the bakery counter? Maybe not, but what will set the big name retailer apart from smaller, independent beauticians is price. Massages are set to be half the price and a full leg wax has been set at £15.

However, many experts believe that although the supermarket can successfully sell us everything from loo rolls and bread, to car insurance and mobile phones, this is a step too far. Retail expert Neil Saunders of Verdict retail research is not convinced: “People want to feel relaxed and pampered when having a beauty treatment. This isn’t the case when you’re rushing around grocery shopping. A value manicure or haircut might be appealing to some, but most people want to feel special. They don’t want to tell people they got their nails done at Tesco.”

And there’s the crunch. Most of us having a beauty treatment want to lie back and relax for the whole day if possible. Anyone paying for a beauty treatment wants to indulge in the whole experience of being pampered, which is why the spas don’t seem too overly worried by the idea we will all be able get a little extra waxing from these stores very soon.

Leading online gift voucher company Into the Blue similarly feels the beauty treatment market won’t be obliterated by this High Street attack. Activities manager Darren Dray commented: “Our clients buy beauty treatment vouchers as gifts for loved ones because it’s a special treat and gives them chance to experience something new such as a hot stone massage, an aromatherapy beauty facial or a rasul treatment. Spending the day enjoying your treatments in a lovely spa setting is all part of the experience and we’ve found people still think that’s worth paying for.”

For more information contact Caroline Face at caroline@intotheblue.co.uk

Into the Blue offers a variety of beauty treatments, including manicures, pedicures, hot stone massages, result treatments, Indian head massages, cosmetics lessons and aromatherapy facials. www.intotheblue.co.uk

Verdict is a UK based retail and consumer research agency and consultancy. www.verdict.co.uk

About Into the Blue:

Into the Blue is a specialist experience activity gift voucher company that started life in 1996 as an off-shoot of Air Displays International Ltd (operator of the world-renowned Biggin Hill Air Fair), offering flying activities and lessons.

Since then, the company has added a whole range of different activities to the portfolio of activity gift voucher experiences, which now totals in excess of 600. All experiences are available to buy directly from intotheblue.co.uk or by calling 01959 578100.

The company continues to evolve the range and believes that there is a perfect experience suitable for every individual and for every occasion.