Economy

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Thousands of hairdressing salons could close because of Covid-19. | EFE

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterMajorca-International21/04/2020 11:33

The coronavirus crisis could force more than 20,000 hairdressers in Spain to shut down, according to a new report by the Alliance of Hairdressing Entrepreneurs.  The study estimates that the State of Emergency will result in losses totalling 1,280 million euros in 2020 in the Sector, representing 44.4% of turnover.

It also states that 68.4% of companies have issued a Temporary Employment Regulation File or ERTE, 17.6% of micro-businesses are unlikely to survive and only 13.8% will manage to keep their workforce.  The report claims that without Government aid 81.8% of hairdressing salons will disappear from Spain.

Around 94.2% of all hairdressers are micro-companies with between one and five workers and salon owners claim their takings were already suffering from the "disproportionate" VAT in the sector and are demanding flexible ERTEs, so that they can gradually recover their workforce in the future.  

Salons will reopen in the first phase of the de-escalation of commercial activity with the hygienic-sanitary protocols required by law already in place.  

During the coronavirus crisis, hairdressers donated more than 498,300 gloves, gowns, hydro-alcoholic gels and leggings to Hospitals, Health Centres and Police Stations and Day Centres that lacked the proper protection materials.