A deep dive into the success story of Looks Salon as it marks the completion of 36 years in the beauty industry.
Rachna Virdi
When Sanjay Dutta established Looks Salon in 1989 as a modest, three cutting station barber shop in New Delhi, he never imagined it would go on to become one of the largest salon chains in India with a dynamic growth trajectory. Over the years, he guided the salon through
the various stages—from being a barber shop to beauty parlour to unisex salons—setting new benchmarks and exceeding industry standards to give professionalism a new art form.
In the last 36 years, Looks has emerged as one of the fastest growing salon chains and the largest collective of hair and makeup artists in India. The salon is committed to providing personalised care and expert solutions in hair, skin, makeup, grooming, and aesthetics, and
makes every experience a transformative one for its clients. Walk into any of its branches and you are assured of a highly pampering and rejuvenating treatment.
Estetica India interacts with Looks Salon’s core management team Sanjay Dutta, Samay Dutta & Samir Srivastava, to trail its success and path to excellence. Excerpts from the interaction.
Q. Can you shed light on the vision of Looks Salon?
The vision has always been on luxury services and ambience at affordable prices. We work towards bringing the best of the brands and industry trends to India to ensure world class deliverables for our well-read and well-travelled consumer.
Q. Having completed 36 years, how do you look at its journey and the evolution?
Looks was established in 1989 from three cutting station barber shop in Karol Bagh in New Delhi. In 1992, we opened the first ladies salon, diversifying the brand. In 2003, we opened our second salon in Defence Colony. In 2006, we added the global brand Kerastase at the
Khan Market salon and in 2015, we opened our first academy. Today, we are a leading destination with a wide portfolio of beauty and grooming services, tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients. We have successfully partnered with premium brands such as L’Oreal
Professional. Kerastase, Matrix and Redken across it chain of salons. We have branched out in the field of education and successfully launched an academy with departments of hair, makeup and beauty, and have churned out numerous batches of students.
Q. What is the secret of your success in the salon business?
The secret to every business success is customer satisfaction and exemplary services. We have followed that as our motto and mantra.
Q. According to you, what are the basics to survive in a salon business?
Personal care and attention to the basics are important for survival in a salon business. Be it customer satisfaction or salon ambience or staff, these basics help to scale up in the salon business.
Q. Tell us about the store dynamics and retail strength of Looks?
We have 250 salons across 52 cities and over 6,000 talented professionals in hair, beauty and makeup across India. The products sold within the premises of the salon are in the professional range and in the split of 80:20 respectively, and recommended by our stylist or therapist for homecare requirement.
Q. How have technological advancements like salon software played a part in your business?
Salon software plays an integral part of our system as well as our growth. Our data analytics and the guidance to the next step comes from the data study done with the help of salon software.
Q. What strategy do you plan for loyalty programs for repeat customers?
We have incorporated both loyalty programs and reward programs into the salon for the last 13 years. Our yearly anniversary sale helps us express gratitude to the loyalty of our consumers.
Q. How do you stay updated with current trends in your salon services?
We regularly update ourselves with the help of travel, participating in beauty fairs and conferences, and getting beauty global talent to train our staff and refresh their skills every quarter. We constantly organise training and refresher training programs in the salon and at the academy to spread knowledge.
Q. How do you deal with challenges like staff training and retention, client issues etc. in the business?
We have our rules and regulations set in place and also our HR policies to benefit the employees. For salons, I believe that the personal touch always helps.
Q. In times of sustainability, what initiatives do you suggest being taken care of by salons?
Salons can promote sustainability by using eco-friendly products, reducing waste, conserving water and energy, using sustainable decor, offering refill programs, educating clients, and seeking eco-certifications. These steps will help to reduce environmental impact and ighly
appeal to the eco-conscious clients.
Q. What are your top key business mantras for salon success?
Running a successful salon requires more than just excellent hair and beauty skills. Our key business mantras for success are: providing exceptional customer experience, consistent service, and ongoing staff training. Smart marketing, fostering a positive team culture and
streamlining operations helps in the long term. Retaining clients with loyalty programs, using technology to improve efficiency, staying innovative and managing finances wisely is advisable for success.
