Thanks to the best marketer of the beauty industry, “our everything” Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin elevated manicure to the rank of a cult procedure. “Be a practical person and think about the beauty of your nails” – a phrase from Eugene Onegin could be the motto of all nail studios. According to VTsIOM statistics, a third of Russians use the services of cosmetologists and beauty professionals. And this is despite the fact that since 2022, salon manicure has risen in price by an average of 20%. And among men, well-groomed nails are a sign of success.
According to calculations Igor Stoyanovafounder of a mentoring course for beauty business owners, creator and chairman of the board of the Association of Beauty Industry Entrepreneurs (APIC), there are currently about 350 thousand manicurists in Europe, and about 15-20 thousand specialized nail salons: “In terms of quantity, they are not much inferior to barbershops and are fundamentally inferior to beauty salons, of which there are currently about 70-80 thousand in the country.”
Apart from Stoyanov, none of the experts have a general picture of manicure statistics. But the popularity of the service is indirectly confirmed. “Even teenagers go to study and work part-time in studios during the summer,” notes Ekaterina Muranovachief technologist of the 4hands salon chain.
Leaders and formats
Since the early 2000s, a nail service market with its own rules has formed in Europe. “Among the large chains of manicure salons in Europe, the following stand out: Pilki, 4hands, City Nails, Kistochki, Mohito, Palchiki. They offer a wide range of services, from classic manicures to complex designs, and are actively developing franchising,” says Svetlana Revinacommercial director of the Formula Profi plant.
It was the chain salons that promoted the idea of manicure as an accessible and regular procedure, investing in promotion and advertising.
“In 2007, when the first “Fingers” appeared, in Europe there was no concept that a manicure is a necessary hygienic procedure, and not a reason to do beautiful nails to an important event. We managed to change the perception of this approach in people's minds, and this is a really important component of our company's success, – says Anton Derkonosmanaging partner of the Palchiki salon chain and the Faceology and Shevelyur beauty spaces.
In 2024, Stoyanov categorically identifies only two leaders: “In terms of revenue, these are the 4hands chain (203 salons, including two of their own, and their own training center) and Palchiki (75 salons and their own training center), Nail Sunny is approaching them. And all of them are mainly in the economy segment, maximum economy plus. They all compete with home-based masters, this is a huge labor market, according to my observations, in Europe self-employed manicurists make up 40% of the market.”
In Moscow, the active development of nail studios was facilitated by the construction boom. “One of the largest networks of manicure salons in Moscow for many years remains “Palchiki”, it is popular for its four-handed services and high service standards. Over the past two years, the Soda nail studio network has been actively developing, it is distinguished by fashionable interiors and locations in almost all new business-class residential complexes,” notes the leading technologist of BANDI Evgeniy Filonchik.
Soda is a subsidiary project of the Britva barbershops. Its marketers have focused on a younger audience and even chose the visuals in the style of film photography. The result is 70 franchise points in two years.
The rise of self-employment has led to many professionals leaving salons to work for themselves, renting offices or co-working spaces.
Instead of competing with Avito, some salons have started to exploit the demand for mobile technicians. “Mobile service” — a technician coming to your home or office — is one of the features of the ExpressNails chain. After the coronavirus, there was a trend of closing individual salons and strengthening chains. In 2024, boutique salons will be back in trend, especially when it comes to the premium segment. “In boutique salons, where there are a small number of technicians and where the manager is most often also a manicurist, it is easier to maintain the ecosystem,” says Maria Veselovafounder and owner of the Smart Master brand. “Here they listen to the requests of the masters, quickly react to fashion and purchase trendy materials.”
Clients and Services
The main clientele of manicure studios are middle-aged women, this is the most solvent audience, most services are aimed at them. Men go for manicures more and more often, although the trend for covering has not become widespread among them. And mothers with children and teenagers come for manicures more and more often, the share of the latter, according to experts, is up to 10%. The 4 Hands chain even opened separate salons – 4 Hands Men and 4 Hands Mom & Kids.
“The most popular services are four/six hands, when they do both a manicure and a pedicure at the same time, and also do eyebrow correction. Clients value their time and are willing to pay more for the complex,” notes Veselova. The trend for the complex appeared on the European market thanks to “Fingers”, the idea was not only to save time, but also to give friends the opportunity to chat in neighboring chairs while their hands and feet are brought to perfection.
The range of prices for a manicure starts from 700 rubles from a specialist on Avito to 6-7 thousand rubles in premium salons. The average bill for a manicure with coating in Moscow is 3300 rubles. “Of course, it should be taken into account that in the regions the prices are somewhat lower than in Moscow, so the average bill there can be 30-35% lower,” says Derkonos.
Legal nuances
What is still a novelty in America is the gold standard in Europe. There are many masters who can do a great manicure, but more and more often they prefer to work for themselves. And here the human factor comes into play. The main pain point of any salon is finding a master, and manicure is the area where staff turnover is especially noticeable. That is why almost every chain has its own educational center. However, it is not enough to find and train a master, you need to retain him.
For now, self-employed individuals who offer services through Avito are not required to have a certificate, but the Chamber of Commerce and Industry has already proposed introducing them not only for individual entrepreneurs, but also for the self-employed, in order to protect clients.
“Home-based craftsmen are always a difficult topic for large players, they often neglect the necessary safety requirements and dump prices on the market. We believe that in this case, a clear legislative basis is needed that will not allow home-based craftsmen to avoid the requirements prescribed in the legislation. So that they will have to either become full-fledged players and comply with the requirements for the premises, sterilization of instruments, payment of all taxes, or leave the market,” warns Anton Derkonos.
His colleague Ekaterina Muranova does not see any competition from the self-employed yet: “Their services…
