From coining salon luxury to the evolution of salon experience and exceeding consumers’ expectations, the success of Oscar Oscar salons is now well defined. The energetic Irishman and his entourage of entrepreneurs has the energy and tenacity not often witnessed in an increasingly challenging industry. With an approach to hairdressing that has defied the statistics. 20- 30 per cent growth year on year for the past three years means the Oscar Oscar salon group continues to be at the helm of strong partnerships.

“The industry has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Traditionally it was about a great haircut, colour and blowdry but now the industry has become a lot more sophisticated in terms of the diversity of work store to store,” Oscar said.

“A big component of the business is now bringing people into stores via social media. Instagram has shaken some of the older players and made it more challenging for them in the industry,” he said.

There’s no question the online environment has made the average consumer more aware, and as Oscar confirms, it is all about quality control and consistency.

“The customer is now happy to pay good money for a luxury product and more reluctant to pay average money for an average product.” “It’s more important than ever to have a really slick website. Not only this but each location upholds the brand’s values of consistency – it’s a constant challenge in our industry whereby many brands have done this for particular periods in time and may not have adapted or evolved,” Oscar said.

Colour brand and salon partner of choice Redken 5th Avenue NYC has aligned with Oscar sharing values of innovation, growth and community. Colour innovation has been at the forefront of the Oscar Oscar brand’s growth, with many stores averaging around 65 per cent colour services.

“We partnered with Redken initially when they launched a revolutionary colour range, ‘Chromatics’ and this technology was the closest thing to the multi-faceted benefits we needed in salon, and now Shades EQ is no exception,” Oscar said. This year marks a special anniversary for arguably Redken’s most prized colour range – Shades EQ. This highly versatile gel colour is celebrating a milestone 30th anniversary with a strong following of colour obsessed loyalists. Addicted to the unique formulation in hair colour that blends like no other, achieving Demi Permanent results for unmatched colour blending and vibrancy.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Redken on a new color launch, Color Gels Lacquers. As a group we were integral in testing and offering feedback on this range. The perfect complement to Shades EQ, and what we see as Shades EQ with a permanent heart.” Oscar said. In-line with that Oscar says Shades EQ is one of the most diverse colour ranges in the market, Redken has a solution for everything which is crucial in a dynamic luxury brand like Oscar Oscar. “Redken always continues to evolve, and it’s no wonder some of our salon partners are up for Colourist of the Year in the AHFAs and have in the past won colour awards,” Oscar said.

“We partnered with Redken initially when they launched a revolutionary colour range, ‘Chromatics’ and this technology was the closest thing to the multi-faceted benefits we needed in salon, and now Shades EQ is no exception” OSCAR CULLINAN

Oscar believes a salon’s delivery process is important and if changed by merely 2 per cent the message becomes unrecognisable, so it’s little wonder that throughout 2019 Oscar Oscar has continued to grow on a refined approach, with management having dedicated time to further regulate these processes and prepare for significant expansion in 2019, and 2020. This expansion mindset also included the appointment of Lee Cohen as Business Development Manager for the group. According to Oscar, Lee is a great energiser for the brand and has injected a lot of vitality.

“We bounce well off each other,” Oscar confirmed. Oscar makes special note that to be successful you have to be aware of the great pretenders as ‘all that glitters can fade quickly’. Oscar believes the moving image has  been  massively  under- utilised and Instagram has become what he calls ‘the Tinder for hair’, where only very few of the connections made via social will result in long-term relationships.

The first Oscar Oscar Salon opened in 1989 in Brisbane and today Oscar Oscar Salons are found in prestigious locations throughout Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Toowoomba, including at the chic Fashion Precinct at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast and Chadstone – The Fashion Capital in Melbourne. Ultimately, Oscar confirms that there are three primary driving forces that continue to make the Oscar Oscar brand, 1) the location of the stores, 2) word of mouth, and last but not least, 3) a great salon culture driven by great salon partners. Fourth and fifth in order of importance sit the website and social media.

The key drivers in bringing new customers into the salon, as Oscar believes. Next for the brand will be a new flagship Oscar Oscar salon in one of the three capitals (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney) as well as an existing store relocation, plus another high street salon. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Redken as an authority in colour in trends, offering creative techniques for the luxury, trend-driven client!” Oscar said.

For more information visit www.oscaroscar.com.au

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