The British Beauty Council, representing the UK's £28 billion beauty industry, is urging the government to extend business rates relief to salons, a move they argue is essential for regenerating high streets.
Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council, whose ambassadors include prominent figures like Charlotte Tilbury, Kate Moss, and Trinny Woodall, has written to the Prime Minister. She expressed concern that ignoring beauty businesses in government relief packages would be a significant oversight.
Last month, the Prime Minister announced a 20% reduction in business rates for hospitality firms, a measure expected to save pubs approximately £1,100 each. This policy is to be funded by reducing reliefs for gambling arcades and vape shops. However, this decision has drawn criticism from other high street businesses facing similar economic pressures, including rising costs for wages, National Insurance contributions, and energy.
Kendall emphasized that the industry's request for inclusion in relief measures is not a plea for subsidies but a matter of economic sense. She highlighted that beauty businesses are significant employers and contributors to economic growth, with the sector contributing £28.3 billion to the UK economy in 2025, according to the British Beauty Council's Value of Beauty report.
"Salons are not just businesses in their own right, they are anchors for local economies. When they close, the consequences ripple far beyond the beauty industry," Kendall stated. She pointed out that the beauty and personal care sector supports around 600,000 jobs, with a large proportion of the workforce being women and half aged between 18 and 34. The industry also contributed enough in direct tax revenues in 2025 to fund the salaries of 110,000 nurse practitioners.
Despite these contributions, the sector is facing challenges. Kendall noted that employment in the industry has fallen by 2.8%, and the sector is stagnating rather than growing at its previous rate. This is attributed to the cumulative impact of increased National Insurance contributions, rising wage bills, escalating energy costs, and business rates that no longer align with the economic realities of brick-and-mortar enterprises, all while consumer spending remains subdued.
The council argues that beauty businesses are crucial for high street vitality because their services cannot be replicated online or delivered remotely. A salon appointment often leads to increased footfall for other local businesses, as customers may use public transport, pay for parking, buy lunch, or browse neighboring shops.
Kendall cautioned that an increasing number of professionals are leaving commercial premises to work from home or as mobile practitioners because the economics of operating from a fixed location are no longer viable. This trend results in empty retail units, reduces consumer visits to town centers, and diminishes the tax base for local economies.
The British Beauty Council advocates for a comprehensive approach to high street regeneration that includes retail services within business rates support, protection from steep property tax increases, and the creation of a fairer competitive environment between physical retailers and online marketplaces. They argue that the government has historically recognized retail, hospitality, and leisure as an interconnected ecosystem, and recent measures have created unhelpful distinctions.
"We cannot regenerate Britain's high streets while allowing the businesses that bring people into them every day to disappear," Kendall asserted. "If the Government truly wants to revive the high street, it should start by recognizing the industry that has quietly been holding it together all along."