Confidence in bricks and mortar retailing is coming in spades from Brisbane-based national hair care leader Price Attack, as the company prepares to open six stores.
Last year Price Attack recently swung open the doors to its Brookside Shopping Centre store in Brisbane’s north-west suburbs, and more recently opened three new stores in New South Wales on December 16, and a further two will open this year: a figure, franchising industry pundits say, is unheard of.
Many thought it was Brookside’s death knoll when Myer closed its doors in 2017 and then in 2020 when it looked like Target would follow suit, but in the past year, the centre chalks up 50 years with Price Attack, reopening a previously closed store with its updated brand refresh.
You could be forgiven for thinking chief executive officer John Pascoe and network development manager Tanya Kanaris are keen to clone themselves ahead of three New South Wales stores opening on the same day.
“Certainly, the pandemic lockdowns did knock us around a fair bit with plans put on-hold, and then put on-hold again and again,” Mr Pascoe said. “But we are a tenacious team, with equally tenacious franchisees who have been working non-stop to get their stores operational and open before the end of the year.”
The hair care sector is worth $500 million a year and continues to grow 3% year on year. Pascoe is set to chalk up his second year with the company, ranked third largest in the hair care industry.
Price Attack’s brand resilience came from being both a service provider and a retailer with stores across Australia reporting strong and increased figures evening during the toughest of lockdowns.
The New South Wales stores include Dubbo in western NSW, Bateau Bay on the central coast and Liverpool in greater western Sydney.
Ms Kanaris said fifth and sixth NSW stores will open soon in Hurstville in southern Sydney and Toormina near Coffs Harbour, with a franchisee making a pandemic sea change from Victoria.
“Lucky I am part of a hair care group because there were times, I thought I would tear my hair out,” she said. “Just as we would get ahead there would be another outbreak and another lockdown, but we are now on the precipice of a very exciting era for Price Attack.”