After acquiring the territory rights for Michigan earlier this year, Fantastic Sams is moving ahead with plans to push for new stores in metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Lansing.
“We acquired 50 salons (through the rights transfer),” says Linda Chadwick, COO for Fantastic Sams, based in Beverly, Mass. “We’re going to considerably improve that number over the next 10 years. Our goal is to have a strong presence in the entire state of Michigan.”
With nearly 1,200 salons throughout North America, Fantastic Sams Hair Salons offer services including haircuts, color treatments, and facial waxing.
When the company begins its expansion, Chadwick says the company will likely seek out sites where other retail and service businesses are already established. “We want to be where we can be part of a neighborhood environment. So if you start to see an area that’s growing, we want to be part of that growth. When you see shopping centers that are popping up in some of the suburban areas, that’s where we want to be,” she says.
“We’re a value chain — value meaning getting the best value and experience for your money,” Chadwick says. “And I think that people in Michigan are very value conscious from the standpoint of making the best decisions for their dollar.”
The first step of the company’s expansion is to ensure a smooth transition with the franchise’s current store operators in Michigan and to set up a training center in the greater Detroit area, Chadwick says. The company oversees regional training centers in other cities, including Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas, where it has a territory or cluster of salons.
“As we put a training center in we want to make sure that we have our activities aligned with servicing our salons,” Chadwick says. “We offer training for stylists, which is one of our recruitment strategies. Stylists want to work for us because they get ongoing training and advancement.”
