When Covid-19 first hit South Africa in March 2020, grooming institutions were among the hardest hit after South Africans were banned from getting a haircut, massage, or even a nail job.
Although these grooming establishments were allowed to open at a later stage, a strict set of curfews interrupted their business and clients came in dribs and drabs.
But despite this and having lost thousands of rands, two years later these industries are starting to recover.
Yoco, a card machine company, released data that show the health and beauty sector, including hair salons, barbershops, and spas, have now seen a drastic improvement in the number of clients, possibly due to lower infection rate and government-driven vaccination drive.
Over January and February 2022, Yoco’s health and beauty businesses showed a 5% uplift compared to trading over the same period in 2021.
In a statement Matt Brownell, VP commercial for Yoco, said the sector has been very resilient throughout this time.
“These businesses account for about 25% of Yoco’s customer base, and as a company whose primary objective is to empower and grow small businesses, we are happy to see this trend of recovery,” said Brownell.
“It has been difficult to watch the impact of the pandemic on this sector. Tools like Yoco Link and Voucher have enabled some of the merchants to continue trading, but as a primarily in-person industry, health and beauty businesses are relying on the return of customers.
Brownell added: “We encourage South Africans to continue supporting their local small businesses.”
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