Ideas - that improve your business
Our “Ideas” articles keep you in touch with styles, trends and developments in design, providing you with articles and information that is of direct practical benefit to your company and your customers. This month we look at how Men’s grooming habits have changed over the last few years.
Innovation - our clients tell us how we’ve improved their business
These articles show how JSA’s design and build work has directly improved our clients’ business and perhaps gives you some ideas as to how we might work for you. This month we look at Palmers, Bury St Edmunds.
Inspiration - the products and people behind the designs
Our “Inspiration” section is an informal look at the ideas and people that shape future trends.
This month we look at WholeMan Bond Street London.
Men’s grooming habits have changed radically over the last few years, and encouraged by slick marketing campaigns continue to do so at an incredible rate. Grooming tips from make up artists in top magazines advise on moisturising, exfoliating, refining, protecting and even make-up and fake tan! My Mum always told me never to trust a man whose eyebrows met in the middle, but nowadays when the ‘new man’ has been plucking away you never can tell!!
In general men today are much more comfortable buying their own cosmetic products rather than relying on female partners, friends or relatives to get it for them, and as they become more aware of the services available to enhance their personal appearance, the more they buy! An increase in the male grooming procedure has given birth to a new niche in the market place, the ‘metro sexual’ a modern, urban man in tune with his sensitive side, grooming and fashion needs with a sense of social awareness.
The UK male grooming market is growing fast led by icons such as David Beckham who was the flagship for Gillette the industry leader. The manufacturers know this and are quick to exploit the situation with the promise of an irresistible attraction to the opposite sex.
Male grooming salons and spas are apparently also enjoying a brisk business, apparently men now make up 29% of all spa goers (according to the International Spa Association, while many European spas even report that men comprise 50% or more of their business. Some recent salons include The Dandy House mens beauty day spa a Japanese chain offering everything from eyebrow trimming to body hair removal and weight loss, JOQ Day Spa for Men is an Atlanta day spa designed and devoted exclusively to men offering various treatments.
As per most subjects the online market for men is vast. Just searching for male grooming brings up an array of sites offering everything from advice on skin types, products, books, and magazines to cosmetic surgery sites and help lines!
Dubai’s 1847 grooming lounge for men is located in a prime location to service their target customer: The Boulevard of the Emirates Towers Hotel and shopping complex houses the salon but the management prefers the phrase ‘a new sector of men’s grooming’. Service areas are partitioned for privacy, and among the many features, there is an in house retail boutique featuring premium products designed to address the travel and grooming needs of the busy, powerful man wanting to look his best. In the swanky hotel itself they offer H20 the spa inviting
male travelers to take a break from the stress of the world and time to relax and unwind. They promote this as ‘a vital necessity’, particularly for business travellers jumping from meeting to meeting and time zone to time zone inevitably taking its toll.
There are a large group of men who still have little interest in grooming apart from the bare minimum. Manufacturers need to look at demographic groups to see whether there are existing opportunities. Younger men are a key group to target as our media-driven, image obsessed culture acknowledges the need to present themselves well, unlike the older generation where the need to pamper other than basic cleanliness would be seen as pure vanity. My view shared by more than two or three of my female colleagues would be that any man who spends more time in the bathroom than a woman is up to something! However, despite this the future prospects for growth in the men’s grooming products industry looks positive, and is set to continue it’s strong path.
Long gone are the days when male grooming meant a quick shower and a shave. These days, modern man cleanses, scrubs, protects and plumps with the best of us! In our Inspiration Section we visit 'WholeMan' a store promising body maintenance for men, as brands get ready to tap into a formerly neglected demographic segment.
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Palmers was founded in Great Yarmouth in 1837. The company celebrates its 170th Anniversary this year and claims the Great Yarmouth store is the longest established independent department store in the country. Palmers Ltd is now one of the largest independent retailers in East Anglia employing over 400 staff in its 5 stores. There are two Palmers stores in Bury St Edmunds, one specialising in fashion and accessories and the other selling Homewares. Both are due to be re-fitted ahead of the opening in 2009 of a new 300,000sq ft shopping centre incorporating an 85,000 sq ft Debenhams. To meet with the fierce new competition as well as bringing Palmers Bury St Edmunds into the 21st century, the store has decided to go ahead with a major re development programme. Bruce Sturrock, Managing Director, says "We have chosen architects Kilngrove, who have officially been appointed to work closely with JSA on this challenging project. The structural work involves overcoming the means of escape issues, addressing as far as is possible the DDA act requirements, gaining space by building over a light well and removing as many walls as possible. JSA, who have worked on many projects for Palmers group have already prepared a design for a new shopfront along with preliminary layouts for the interior with walls removed and circulation improved to allow us to introduce new and exciting brands and concessions." The launch is planned for Spring 2008, and a new concept brochure for the store is now available. Palmers are part of AIS, the largest independent buying group in the UK with over 500 stores in the association. |
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People have been talking about the Metrosexual revolution for years now, but it seems that its translation into retail that actually works has been a long time coming. G.Room and Space NK Men are the only two dedicated men's health and beauty concepts to make a stir in London, and G.Room has since closed its doors. Now however we have another contender to try its hand at this elusive target customer. WholeMan is a great new approach to body maintenance for men. Launched in November 2006, it is already becoming well established on the scene. Set over two floors, the ground floor sells grooming and beauty products at the front, with remedies and vitamins at the back. They are totally dedicated to providing everything the contemporary male needs to look and feel great. Upstairs is a treatment area, offering men a range of personal pampering from wet shaves and facials, to massage and reflexology. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience one of London's most luxurious male treatment centres. Their 'no fuss' body care service has been established to deliver a range of treatments that can both enhance appearance or just provide some relaxing indulgence. They have searched the world to bring you the very best in mens grooming with products from established companies as well as smaller more specialist brands. The store is centrally located at 67 New Bond Street London W1, and features solid timber clad central fixtures, display travel and shaving kits, fragrances and lotions on glass with white pebbles beneath. Naturopathic Medicine is the system of primary health care which works with the individual’s efforts towards the optimal expression of physiological, physical, and mental/emotional health. WholeMan's fully qualified Naturopaths are always on hand to advise on a wide range of vitamins and supplements. Each of them has completed a four-year Bachelor Degree in the subject, where the traditions and practices of natural medicine are taught alongside modern biomedical sciences. A course that comes highly recommended is 'The Real Time Out' - 75 minutes of exfoliation, massage, facial and foot treatment. The experience is said to be out of this world! If you don’t have time for a trip to the capital WholeMan's unique in-store offering is supported by an innovative, transactional website and direct mail service at website www.wholeman.co.uk. |
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