Supercuts gets a makeover
By Lisa Cipriano
Metro Detroit area Supercuts salons are ready for the busy back-to-school season after undergoing major growth and a makeover of their own.
A Birmingham-based owner¬ship group of nine Chaldean entrepreneurs called Super C Group, led by private equity group firm Vision Growth Partners, is growing and improving the Supercuts brand after acquiring 65 Michigan based salons from Minneapolis-based Regis Corporation.
In addition to purchasing 13 Supercuts stores in Michigan, Super C Group is taking, what were once Bo-Rics, Hair Master and Fiesta Salons, remodeling them and converting them into Supercuts salons.
Adrian Shayota, Futurewave Images
They also are in the process of opening 10 brand new Supercuts locations in Michigan. The Michigan locations along with a number of franchisee and salon acquisitions in Ohio has made Super C Group the largest Supercuts franchisee in the Midwest with a total of 190 stores.
Adrian Shayota, director of operations for Super C Group/Alline Salon Group, is responsible for over-seeing the day-to-day operations of the Supercuts locations in Michigan.
“It’s a good brand and a strong name with lot of marketing already behind it. It was really kind of an easy decision to jump on board,” explained Shayota.
Another major draw in the decision to acquire the brands was the quality of the existing 430-plus employees of the Michigan salons who came along with longtime, devoted clientele.
“You don’t see many industries where people are around for 25 or 30 years. The average tenure of our existing employees is over ten years. We took on every single stylist, every salon manager and a majority of the district leaders as well,” Shayota said.
In fact, Super C Group has made it a mission to not only invest in the salons, but also their employees by making their workplaces more modern, ergonomic and comfortable with a fresh new look from top to bottom by installing new floors, walls, work stations and reception desks. The stores also are being equipped with Wi-Fi internet.
“It’s 2019 and the old stores didn’t even have internet for their customers if they wanted to show their stylist a haircut that they wanted on their phone. They can do that now,” explained Shayota.
Super C Group/Alline Salon Group also is able to provide their employees a more responsive upper management that is locally based.
“That’s a very big benefit to our staff. They don’t have to call Minneapolis to get something done. We’re here and right around the corner to help,” said Shayota. “I’ve already visited every single salon personally,” he added.
That personal touch, better healthcare benefits, a 401K plan, one of the most aggressive commission plans in the industry and new life breathed into what were some¬times old, outdated salons make for both happier workers and customers. They’ve even started a new Face¬book group for employees to interact with one another and share photos of their newly renovated salons.
“We’re all about the team. We want to keep our stylists happy, they’re my customer, and that boils down to the customers walking in and walking out happy,” Shayota explained.
In fact, Super C Group boasts a mere 6 percent turnover rate during the acquisitions and renovations that have closed some locations for a number of months.
With all of this growth, Supercuts also is actively recruiting fresh, new talent to fill its newly acquired and expanding Supercuts salon portfolio by spending thousands per month on ads on job search websites and regular visits to local cosmetology schools and beauty colleges.
“We visit all of the local beauty schools at least once a month. We’re right there to get the best, new talent as soon as they graduate,” said Shayota.
All of this work and investment taking place since the official announcement of the acquisition just last September has put Michigan’s Supercuts locations in position to tackle the busy back-to-school sea¬son and possibly make some new, future lifelong clients.
“It’s one of the busiest times of the year and we’re ready for it with a lot of marketing being done digitally and with $5 off coupons for kids. It’s a huge time us and we’re very excited about it,” said Shayota.
Back-to-school time often means entire families coming in for their own fresh new looks and the price must be right to fit the family budget.
“Our prices are a lot lower and much more affordable than private salons. We’re at mid-price point level with an average of $16.50 for a simple haircut. But, unlike our national competitors that lowball their prices and have time limits on their haircuts, we do not. It’s all about the quality of the work,” Shayota explained.
Keeping up on all of the latest cut, color and style trends is most important to maintain that quality of work and keep a cut above the com¬petition in the salon industry.
“We’ve instituted new, top-of-the-line training that this brand has never had before which includes Paul Mitchell coming in every month to teach our stylists new techniques and about new products,” Shayota said. “Our goal is to have or stylists and customers stay with us at least an¬other 30 years,” he concluded.
If you’re interested in learning about a career at a Michigan Supercuts Salon you can visit: https://allinesalongroup. com/ or simply email your resume to hr@allinesg.com.