CHAPTER 31:

POST PANDEMIC

The first few months post lockdown 3.0 (although it was the 4^th if you were London based) were full of hope, but the last quarter of 2021 was tough. Due to our incredible success rates, many of our Apprentices had qualified & were working hard on the floor in their now re- opened salons. This left a gaping hole in our numbers because there was no new enrolment of Apprentices for some 9 months, consequently leaving us around 50 students light. Financially, it was potentially ruinous.

As Covid 19 cases rose again, it didn’t need a scientist to work out what was going to happen when the kids went back to school. Now the Government began whispering about a potential new lockdown and by mid- December we were led to believe that as the numbers of infection were at an all-time high, another lockdown was inevitable. Confidence in the economy was knocked again and although another lockdown was avoided, there was a general feeling of weariness.

2022 started with the politicians talking about a cost of living crisis and eventually, with the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the price of everything started spiralling. Enquiries for private courses from career changers just seemed to stop but luckily our apprenticeship programme was growing again as salon owners started to employ people as their businesses started to grow.

At the time of writing this in mid July 2022, we are now back to the numbers of Apprentices in training that we had in 2019, pre pandemic. Great news! We’re also in the middle of the hottest July ever, but I’m alright here in my air conditioned office.

During this period, literally from April 2021 until right now, we have been negotiating with our London landlord, one that can only email. In fact, to be precise, we have a series of emails from loads of their people who seem to change weekly. No one will meet, no one will have a direct conversation and therefore we have no one to understand the state of play locally. Where we are situated in Farringdon, opposite the famous Smithfield meat market, the number of local restaurants that have closed together with the lack of office staff have left us in a very odd situation. We need live models for our trainees to work on & with that in mind we’ve been offering free cuts to everyone as well as half price colouring. You can imagine how much money we are losing but we can’t do anything about it.

However, after some 14 months of negotiation with the Landlord we are finally somewhere close to an agreement. I’m sure as you know to your own cost, our industry simply cannot fill the hole that 9 months of closures cost us. Now explain that to our Landlord!

The future? Well after 62 years come August 22^nd of this amazing industry, I believe that the 2^nd half of 2022 will be more positive. Enquiries are up for both apprentice and private training and the legacy of online education is being replaced by face-to-face again. At last people are realising the internet can show you how it should be done, but it can never help you when you get it wrong! Please contact me with your views on my personal blog, even if it’s just to have a row.