Indian beauty culturists tap Lanka salon industry
View(s):Indian beauty culturists are tapping the salon industry to enter into the Sri Lanka market in a big way through joint venture and franchise holder firms threatening local beauty parlours.
A network of 100 beauty salons is to be opened in the country employing Indian beauty culturists along with local assistants with the involvement of a leading Indian salon and spa company, a group of Sri Lankan beauty culturists complained.
This group has sent a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informing him about the launch of establishing 100 beauty salons countywide with the involvement of Indian beauty culturists.
One of the concerns over the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperative Agreement (ECTA) with India was the opening of avenues of Indian workers including beauty culturists and hair dressers (barbers) to come and work in the island.
They noted that the launch of ‘Naturals’ brand of India , a chain of salons under the guise of the next generation of beauty parlours in Sri Lanka recently would be a great threat to the local beauty care industry.
This Indian beauty culturist chain will soon gain the dominance in the local industry with their cheap service compared to local beauty care providers putting thousands of self employed Sri Lankans out of business, they added. They added that the local beauty care industry has contributed immensely for the money circulation inland while providing employment to a large number of youths.
The competition due to the emergence of Indo-Lanka unisex salons is going to be unbearable for the industry as they will lose the Lankan clientele who would go to foreign brands, they pointed out.
During the past three decades, middle- and low-income Sri Lankan women have been spending a considerable amount of money on personal grooming and appearance, a recent official survey revealed.
The mushrooming of the beauty salons created employment opportunities for low income women expanding the beauty product and service market in the country.
Beauty salons have also been increased and local women are used to spend 10 per cent of their household income for beauty care per month, it revealed.
The previous government had initiated a policy framework for the beauty culture industry with the aim of ensuring the expansion and development of the sector.
It has also conducted a survey to determine the needs of these entrepreneurs.
(BS)