Member Article

Hair and beauty marketplace Wahanda hits 10,000 business milestone

Online hair and beauty marketplace, Wahanda is now working with 10,000 spa and salon businesses in the UK.

The London headquartered-company has acquired five businesses across Europe in the last nine months and is continuing to experience expansion on home territory.

The milestone marks another major growth achievement for Wahanda, which has seen its subscriber base more than double in the UK over the past year alone.

For the company, which has raised close to €135m in extra investment over the last year and now has a leading presence in 10 different countries across Europe, the UK remains a primary focus for its expansion plans.

“Reaching 10,000 venues in the UK alone is a huge landmark for us, but we still have a long way to go,” says Lopo Champalimaud, CEO and founder of Wahanda.

“Out of an estimated 80,000 spas and salons in the UK, only 12% of venues are using salon management software,” he continues. “Bookings in the majority of cases are still recorded with pen and paper, meaning many are missing out on incremental revenue by improving utilisation. This disconnect comes at a time when nearly 50% of consumers are demanding to book hair and beauty appointments online.”

Those venues that have adopted the automated booking technology have seen the number of bookings go up by an average of 25%, with some as much as 60%.

Jonny Long from Lockonego in London said: “Clients are looking for more convenience from their spas and salons, particularly among the digital generation. Often bookings are made on a whim or last minute, and having an automated online booking platform has addressed that need.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .