In the media September 13, 2026

NBR on the beauty sector’s volatile year, with Salon Furniture among the voices

By Salon Furniture

NBR (National Business Review), 7 July 2026. Article by Kate MacVicar.

In July, NBR reported on a beauty sector facing a volatile trading environment while industry players stay optimistic that “self-care” spending will persist. The article puts New Zealand’s hair and beauty industry at about $1.4 billion, with close to 7,000 registered companies, and gathers views from the beauty association, Caci Clinic and Rodney Wayne before closing with the supplier’s perspective from Salon Furniture.

What Kirsty Giles told NBR

Speaking to NBR, Salon Furniture owner Kirsty Giles described a year that has been more consistent than the previous few, and three trends she sees from the supply side:

Home salons on the rise: more stylists are moving out of leases and building a salon at home, looking for work-life balance and lower costs. In Kirsty’s words: “We’re still getting a lot of new people coming in. A lot of people are moving out of their leases, moving home, building a salon there.”
The South Island is Salon Furniture’s biggest market: the majority of the business comes from the South Island, which Kirsty attributes to a lack of local suppliers, with an even split between operators opening new salons and renovating existing ones.
Beauty therapists picking up, barbers cooling off: after a big wave of new barbershops three to four years ago (typically buying three or four chairs at a time), barber demand has eased, while sales to beauty therapists have grown as they become one-stop shops offering nails, facials and injectables. Home operators often start with cost-effective products and upgrade later, and heated or massaging shampoo loungers are getting more interest.

Her closing line to NBR: “You’ve just got to carry on … There’s always going to be a place for those people; they perform a good service when needed.”

Read the full article at NBR (subscription required).

Planning a fit-out, in the South Island or anywhere in New Zealand? We hold stock in Auckland and deliver nationwide. Visit the showroom at 17 Allens Road, East Tamaki (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), call 0800 890 027, or browse our furniture range.