Each year the publication ranks franchise opportunities to help guide entrepreneurs looking to select a business venture as well as to track trends and determine what sectors are well positioned for growth in the coming year.
Topping the list
One men’s grooming shop, five hair salons, three massage boutiques, and one tanning parlour appear in the first half of the list. Here they are, followed by their respective rankings:
- Supercuts, 5
- Great Clips, 37
- Massage Envy Spa, 51
- Fantastic Sams Hair Salons, 52
- Cost Cutters Family Hair Care, 118
- First Choice Haircutters, 133
- Palm Beach Tan, 159
- Elements Massage, 208
- Roosters Men's Grooming Centers, 241
- Massage Heights, 244
Hair care looks good
Hair salons look to be well placed for the year ahead. "Hair care is a highly stable and attractive industry for franchise investment," said Linda Chadwick, Fantastic Sams president and COO, in a media release announcing that company’s placement on the list.
And, franchise salons are keeping up with industry trends. For instance, “Fantastic Sams offers a full range of salon services, including haircuts and trend-right styles, color and facial waxing, all of which help generate higher tickets and margins,” states the release.
The brand continues to adapt: “Fantastic Sams invented the no-appointment-needed hair salon and continues to be the industry leader for affordable, trend-right hair salon services.” Late last year the franchise announced its "‘Brand Evolution,’ [which] includes new haircutting systems, color and product lines, an upcoming store redesign and an entire range of new franchise support systems designed to help franchisees compete with value haircut chains.”
Men’s grooming
Hair care and grooming services tailored specifically for men continue to advance as an industry. Thanks to the likes of Roosters Men's Grooming Centers, that’s true in the franchise sector as well.
Roosters is aligned with other hair business ventures, including Supercuts, Cost Cutters and Pro-Cuts, as part of the larger Regis Corp.
How these franchises grow and change in the year to come will be an interesting gauge of the larger hair care market.