Traditional retail is bleeding out. Walk down any high street in Britain today and you’ll spot the hollow shells of once-mighty department stores and shuttered clothing chains. Yet, towns aren't completely dead. Look closer at the shopfronts keeping the lights on, and you’ll notice a distinct shift. Hairdressers, nail bars, independent skin clinics, and barbershops have quietly taken over.
Recent findings from the British Beauty Council's report, The Impact of Beauty: Revealing Its Social, Cultural and Economic Value, highlight an undeniable shift. Personal care businesses now account for nearly a third of all leisure venues across retail centres, outperforming traditional expectations and anchoring local economies.
If you want to understand how town centres are surviving the digital age, you need to look at makeup, skincare, and haircuts, not clothes rails.
The Economic Engine Behind the Facade
For years, commercial landlords relied on high-street fashion brands to draw crowds. When online shopping and fast-delivery apps hollowed out that model, a massive gap opened up. Beauty stepped into the vacuum.
The numbers are staggering. The UK beauty and personal care industry contributes tens of billions to GDP and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs. More importantly, it punches above its weight in smaller towns and regional hubs. Roughly 39% of beauty businesses operate outside major cities, injecting life into rural communities and post-industrial towns where traditional retail abandoned ship long ago.
People don't just visit these shops and leave. Data shows that more than half of all high-street beauty appointments trigger secondary spending in neighboring cafes, bakeries, and independent shops. You go for a trim or a facial, and suddenly you're picking up lunch or buying groceries nearby. Salons act as magnetic anchors for foot traffic.
Why E-Commerce Can't Kill the Salon
You can buy a lipstick or a shampoo online with a single tap. You can't get a balayage or a brow lamination through a browser window.
Physical service businesses offer something e-commerce giants will never replicate: human touch and tangible experience. Consumers treat personal care as non-negotiable. Even when inflation bites and budgets tighten, people cut back on streaming services or gym memberships before ditching their hair and nail appointments. Among younger demographics, grooming and self-care routines aren't viewed as occasional splurges. They're fundamental maintenance.
This resilience changes property dynamics entirely. Landlords who used to chase national fashion chains now court independent clinic founders and boutique salon owners. These businesses bring steady, reliable footfall five or six days a week.
Beyond the Balance Sheet: Community Anchors
Economists love spreadsheets, but spreadsheets miss the social fabric. High streets used to be where neighbors bumped into each other. When banks and grocers fled to out-of-town retail parks, that casual community interaction vanished.
Salons and barbershops filled that void. For many people, especially those living alone or working remotely, a weekly or monthly appointment is a primary source of face-to-face social contact. It's an environment built on conversation, trust, and mental well-being. Young men, in particular, are driving foot traffic into modern barbershops that double as social hubs, shifting cultural norms around grooming and mental health openness.
Local councils are finally waking up to this reality. Instead of throwing money at outdated retail revitalization schemes, city planners are starting to treat personal care businesses as essential local infrastructure.
What Comes Next for Retail Property
If you own commercial real estate or plan to launch a service business, the playbook has changed. Empty retail units aren't suited for massive inventory anymore. They need flexibility.
Expect to see more hybrid spaces emerge on high streets. Think concept stores that combine retail product shelves with treatment rooms, or co-working spaces paired with wellness bars. The future belongs to businesses that offer real-world utility and connection.
Stop mourning the death of the traditional shopping trip. The high street isn't dying; it's transforming into a place for human connection, wellness, and self-care.
