"
It's going to cut this weekend
".
The day after Emmanuel Macron's speech, the agenda of hairdressing salons was filled in record time, especially for their reopening date.
"
Saturday will be busy with appointments for hairdressers, who have received a large number of reservations, and this all over France,
" says Christophe Doré, president of the National Union of hairdressing companies (Unec) .
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Laurent Melin, manager of the Exception Coiffure brands, salons located in the Corrèze department, did not cut it off: “
On Wednesday morning, we reopened the reservation platform for our salons.
In one morning, she was completely taken by storm,
”says the hairdresser.
“
Besides that, the phone kept ringing.
By the time we offer a slot to the customer on the phone, another had already booked it on the site
”.
There is no longer a single slot available for Saturday, November 28.
The same goes for Paris, where hairdressing salons keep making appointments.
A pace which for some began even before the confirmation of the date of reopening of "
non-essential
" businesses.
The Valessio hairdressing salon, in the 17th arrondissement, made the bet to reopen its reservations to the public from Monday 23, the day before the presidential address: "
we took the risk of offering slots to customers from Monday. for Saturday, November 28, without knowing what Emmanuel Macron was going to announce,
”says Angelina, manager of the show.
Since then, at Valessio, as at Exception Coiffure, the phone rings all day.
“
We are full for Saturday, a
day that will certainly look like the day before the reconfinement
.
»What about the rest of the week?
“
We are not yet full on the other days
,
but the number of reservations is exploding compared to usual.
On Monday, there will be four employees at the show, against three in normal times, to support demand,
”says Angelina.
"
Compared to last year, the number of reservations over the period end of November-beginning of December is quadrupled
", details Laurent Melin, the Corrézien hairdresser.
The occupancy gauge, a real handicap for the sector
While hairdressers welcome their reopening as a breath of fresh air, their salons face a major handicap: the occupancy gauge now set at 8m2 per client.
“
It's a real problem because the area of our living room is not large.
With this restriction, we can only take one in two customers
, ”explains Angelina.
Same thing at Exception Coiffure, whose manager finds the measure inconsistent with regard to the activities of the sector: “
acralising 8m2 for a client sitting on an armchair waiting for its color and who therefore does not circulate in the salon, it's ridiculous ,
”Points out Laurent Melin.
A specificity that the president of Unec wishes to see taken into account in the health protocol imposed on hairdressers: “
I asked the government to grant a tolerance to salons for clients who wait.
I expect an answer by this evening, but things are going in the right direction,
”explains Christophe Doré, optimistic.
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Another concern for the sector: the fact that the country is only partially deconfined.
“
The month of December is the biggest month of the year, because there are holidays,
” explains Christophe Doré.
For Christmas and New Year's Day, the salons are often packed because “
before meeting with family, then between friends, the French want to dress up.
However, the clubs and bars remaining closed, and family reunions being limited, "
they will be less inclined to go to the hairdresser before the festivities
".
“
In addition,
you will need a certificate to go to your hairdresser
, unlike May 11, when you were completely deconfined.
It can be an additional brake,
”he worries.
If Saturday and the whole following week promise to be beneficial, the rest remains very uncertain.