NHBF Business Update –Tuesday 13 February 2024

Rising costs continue to impact hair & beauty sector

The latest quarterly State of the Industry survey from the National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) shows that the recovery of the sector has been slow and steady through 2023 and into January 2024. Resilient sector businesses are still under pressure from sticky inflation, high winter energy costs, rising wage costs in April 2024 and the lack of availability of experienced staff to grow their business.

Read the full Press Release here.

Low Pay Commission UK Visits 2024

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) is an independent statutory Non-Departmental Public Body set up under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 to advise the Government on the National Minimum Wage (NMW).

They are on the lookout for companies that might be interested in speaking to the commissioners about the impact of minimum wages on their business.  From 1 April 2024, the minimum wage will be increased to £11.44 for those over 21-year-olds which is nearly a 10% increase from last year.  There are also adjustments for other age groups as shown in the link here.

How will the latest announcement affect your business planning?  How would you respond to the rising NMW?  LPC is also interested in talking to companies that are trying to raise their productivity, to showcase their learning journeys in their communication platforms.  The oral evidence given by the companies will be collated along with the research statistics for LPC to make their yearly recommendations to the government about the minimum wage.

If you would like to speak to the LPC Commissioners and bring up issues pertinent to your sector, please refer to the table of visits below and contact Rosina Robinson from the NNBF.

Visits Schedule

Global ransomware threat expected to rise with AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to increase the global ransomware threat over the next two years cyber chiefs have warned in a new report published.

The near-term impact of AI on the cyber threat assessment, published by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ, concludes that AI is already being used in malicious cyber activity and will almost certainly increase the volume and impact of cyber-attacks – including ransomware – in the near term.

Experiences and Perceived Impacts of Apprenticeship Minimum Wage

The research was published by the Low Pay Commission and carried out by researchers from Sheffield Hallam University. It sought to uncover the experiences of those paid the Apprentice Rate of the minimum wage. The researchers interviewed current and former apprentices about their initial choices, their experiences on the apprenticeship – including pay – and their post-apprenticeship pathways and plans.

The three apprentices interviewed from hair and beauty were very positive about the levels of pay and the experience of working in the sector!

‘For many of our participants, a friendly and supportive environment was maintained throughout the apprenticeship. Bethany commented that she does “really like it and everyone is really friendly, and they don’t treat me like just an apprentice, they treat me like I really work there, so it’s really nice”. Chloe noted that “even though I was learning my actual job, I felt like I could ask anyone anything and […] you didn’t feel bad for continuously asking the same thing, cos everyone had been in that place before you”.

The Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 - Mandatory licensing of special procedures in Wales: draft regulations and statutory guidance

The Welsh Government want your views on draft regulations and statutory guidance to establish a mandatory licensing scheme for acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing.

Part 4 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 sets out the legal framework for the scheme.

The intention is to commence Part 4 of the Act and put in place the licensing scheme as a whole. The Welsh Government has previously consulted on the principles of the scheme, and the responses they received have informed the draft regulations.  They are also consulting on draft statutory guidance issued under section 66(11) of the Act on the matters local authorities are to consider in deciding whether, and, if so, to what extent, an applicant's fitness to perform a special procedure has been called into question.

As this is the second and final consultation, it will run for a shorter consultation period of 8 weeks. The consultation period will end on 8 April 2024, after which the regulations will be finalised and placed before the Senedd.   You will be able to access the consultation document and draft regulations at the following link:

https://www.gov.wales/draft-regulations-and-statutory-guidance-mandatory-licensing-special-procedures

Kin Connect Salon Evolution Event – What an incredible day!

Salon Evolution was a huge success, bringing over 100 salon owners and managers from all over the UK for a day of inspiration and motivation.

For the third year running Kin Connect put on a day of keynote speakers to lead the way for a successful business in 2024.

Held at The Village Hotel in Portsmouth, this fantastic day with six speakers including industry legends such as Simon Tickler, Gemma Amura from It’s Science in Swansea, Award winning Lorenzo Colangelo from The Gallery, Chris Connors from CoCo’s Foundation and Kin Connects very own Carolyn Sweeney.

Kin Connect mentors and supports independent salon owners to create the best salon culture, slick systems and ultimately earn a better living