Open a nail bar franchise

Landed from North America at the end of the 1980s, the nail bar concept has firmly established itself in France and has experienced constant growth since the early 2000s, particularly in franchising. If you have chosen your nail bar franchise, here are 3 steps to open your establishment and tips to create a nail salon business plan.

Training as a nail technician: an essential prerequisite

After years of pressure from several players in the sector, especially after clients encountered serious problems related to professional misconduct, the opening of a nail bar, franchise or not, has been required since 2014 to present when registering an aesthetic CAP.

Morphology, styling, identification of possible skin and nail diseases, hygiene, safety, product knowledge, installation techniques and artistic creation (nail art), etc.: the profession of nail prosthetics, or nail stylist, requires knowledge and skills which can only be acquired or at least validated by a demanding and recognized training.

This is why all the nail bar franchises have created their in-house training centers to provide initial and continuing training for franchisees (the profession is almost exclusively female) and employees of franchised establishments.

The advantage of these internal training courses is that they are generally given in approved establishments and lead to a professional title registered in the national directory of professional certifications (RNCP), which allows the financing of training in nail prosthesis by the CPF and/or other vocational training funding bodies.

Therefore, the nail technician must take their preparation extremely seriously to ensure the highest customer loyalty level when they start their own company.

The nail bar room: a decisive step

The premises of a nail bar are decisive for its sustainability. Whether it is an establishment configured as a classic beauty institute (on the ground floor, with a window on the street and a surface area of ​​50m² to 100m²) or a kiosk located in a shopping arcade or center commercial, it is the premises that determine the type of activity, clientele, and services provided.

The nail bar on the kiosk: high visibility, high traffic in the Retail Park, shopping center or shopping arcade, fast services, without an appointment, “compulsive buying” type, without privacy for customers. Moderate investment for the creation of the kiosk generally turnkey, high rent.

In institutes in shopping centers: high visibility, high traffic in retail parks, shopping centers or shopping arcades, fast services, without an appointment, “compulsive buying” type, with the possibility of creating lodges offering more privacy to customers. Average investment, essential water supply, and evacuation, high rent.

In a city ​​center institute: high visibility, average traffic, higher added value services, generally with appointments, focusing on customer loyalty and service. Significant investment, water supply, and evacuation essential, medium to high rent.

The type of room and implantation directly depends on the deductible for the nail prosthesis chosen. However, the latter is still very present alongside their franchisees to guarantee an arrangement in accordance with the standards of the brand and the brand image.

Launch communication

While franchised nail bars in kiosks located in shopping centers immediately benefit from high visibility with a large clientele and can quickly generate turnover without communicating heavily, the situation is different for franchised nails located in “beauty institute” type premises.

Indeed, whether they are located in a retail park or in the city center, the latter have every interest in communicating massively and forming partnerships with prescribers to quickly create a loyal clientele that will cover operating costs. To this end, partnerships can be forged with other beauty professionals who do not compete with the nail styling activity: hairdressers, beauty institutes not offering this type of service, possibly fitness centers. Trains or even establishments are specializing in slimming or cryotherapy, etc.

Once again, when opening a franchise nail bar, the head of the network provides support and advice to members of the network at the time of opening to optimize the start of the activity.

You now have all the keys to opening a nail bar franchise. If you have not yet chosen the brand you want to create your structure, consider consulting our advice article on the subject.