Like many other industries, the hair and beauty industry has been affected immensely by the COVID-19 pandemic. After all, salon practitioners have to be in close proximity with their clients and that way there is the real danger of spreading the virus. When lockdown and other safety guidelines kicked in, there was a complete halt in operations in some cases and this cost the industry huge amounts of revenue. Kenya has over 50,000 salons and this is no small number.
The economy is now partially reopened and with this comes the need for businesses to support each other to come back to life. Hair extensions manufacturer Darling has taken up the initiative to empower and uplift the salon industry by ensuring that they are ready for business with the necessary safety measures in place. This is with the launch of the #SalonTukoSet program which will support salons as they transition into the next phase of building the economy. Kenya’s hair business is 25 Billion and those are not few coins by any standards.
With getting back to business and even moving forward, we’re looking at impeccable hygiene. Under the “#SalonTukoSet” program, Darling Kenya will be donating a salon kit with 100,000 re-usable masks, 20,000 litres of disinfectants, 10,000 litres of liquid hand wash and 3,000 face shields for the well-being of the stylists and customers. The “#SalonTukoSet” program will have three pillars – free distribution of these hygiene kits and sanitizers, education on safety and hygiene for salon infrastructure and services, and back-to-business support.
Darling Kenya has also partnered with Rentokil Kenya to weekly disinfect top hair markets like Kenyatta, Umoja, Kariobangi, Kahawa West and Ngara.
“To further empower the salons, we have developed appointment scheduling tools that allow stylists to adhere to the new way of doing business post COVID-19. This will ensure they observe the safety and health measures around the salon including the clientele while safeguarding their source of income.” Rohit Vengurlekar – Business Head – Godrej Kenya
The #SalonTukoSet program has been made possible through Godrej Kenya and its employee’s joint contribution to empower and support hairdressers.
