The Cape Argus - June 26 2006
By Natasha Prince
Imagine sipping a cup of coffee while having a manicure and a pedicure, before your clean hair is blow-dried and while your car is being washed early on a Saturday morning.
For those who find themselves juggling their time, an experience like this may soon bring a sigh of relief when Richard Wories and Shelene Shaer bring their innovative business concept to Cape Town.
For those who find themselves juggling their time, an experience like this may soon bring a sigh of relief when Richard Wories and Shelene Shaer bring their innovative business concept to Cape Town.
Tanaz's flagship store in Johannesburg offers clients a one-stop experience which includes hair salon, manicure and pedicure, in-house coffee shop and a car wash facility.
Nestled between suave shops and trendy cafes in the city's De Waterkant area, Cape Town's Tanaz hair salon is easy to miss because it still has no sign. At this early stage it only has the hair salon component, but the rest will follow.
The many services under one roof concept will appeal to busy people.
"People just don't have time anymore, so it becomes a place where you can do as much as possible under one roof," said Shaer.
What started as a hobby turned into a business venture for Shaer and Wories, who plan to expand Tanaz at a rapid rate. The pair started their company in Johannesburg 13 years ago, and enjoy a turnover in excess of R3-million.
Tanaz, a Persian word meaning "essence of the soul" offers treatments for hair, body and nails, for men and women.
Body treatments include waxing and massages.
Soon after Tanaz Body & Nails was launched, the in-house coffee shop received a significant upgrade. Two years later they bought a house next door and today have 30 staff there.
Shaer handles the operations management and recruits specialist hair expertise for the salon. Wories deals with its financial management and planning skills.
Still in its early stages, the Cape Town hair salon is only a month old and has five staff members. Shaer and Wories have formed a partnership with Cape Town salon manager Theo Theneys, and Shaer travels to and from Cape Town regularly to service the clientele she has built up.
"To encourage an existing hairdressing clientele to use our beauty salon is much easier than it is to attract unknown clients," said Shaer.
Shaer and Wories have recently won a Client Philosophy and Marketing Award in the category Entrepreneurial Excellence for their Johannesburg company.
Tanaz was one of 78 finalists of the 2006 Global Salon Business Awards held in Barcelona.
"We are very proud to have won this prestigious award and are thrilled that the industry is recognising our efforts," said Wories.
The BEST (Business Education for Salons Today) Foundation initiated and presented the awards.
The foundation identifies and honours the most successful entrepreneurial salon owners worldwide. Its vision is for all salon owners to be regarded as successful business leaders, offering financially viable career opportunities and contributing to the socio-economic prosperity of the community.
The salon is one of five South African finalists to have won this award and is one of 78 finalists, from an initial 1 700 salons nominated, from 21 countries worldwide.
The company has also won the Leisure Options Best of Johannesburg Readers' Choice Awards for the Best Salon 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Shaer believes that once a client has become a regular visitor to the salon, the challenge is to increase their spending at Tanaz.
Over the last five years the average spend per client per visit has risen by 51 percent.
"We also maintain that clients who we support will support us, so we actively support our clients' businesses, either by using their services or products ourselves, or by networking clients on an informal basis," she said.
Since its inception, Shaer and Wories have not directly paid for any marketing or advertising at Tanaz. But they have received exposure through trade exchanges.
"It is our belief that nothing retains a client like consistency and exceptional service," said Shaer.
natashap@incape.co.za
Nestled between suave shops and trendy cafes in the city's De Waterkant area, Cape Town's Tanaz hair salon is easy to miss because it still has no sign. At this early stage it only has the hair salon component, but the rest will follow.
The many services under one roof concept will appeal to busy people.
"People just don't have time anymore, so it becomes a place where you can do as much as possible under one roof," said Shaer.
What started as a hobby turned into a business venture for Shaer and Wories, who plan to expand Tanaz at a rapid rate. The pair started their company in Johannesburg 13 years ago, and enjoy a turnover in excess of R3-million.
Tanaz, a Persian word meaning "essence of the soul" offers treatments for hair, body and nails, for men and women.
Body treatments include waxing and massages.
Soon after Tanaz Body & Nails was launched, the in-house coffee shop received a significant upgrade. Two years later they bought a house next door and today have 30 staff there.
Shaer handles the operations management and recruits specialist hair expertise for the salon. Wories deals with its financial management and planning skills.
Still in its early stages, the Cape Town hair salon is only a month old and has five staff members. Shaer and Wories have formed a partnership with Cape Town salon manager Theo Theneys, and Shaer travels to and from Cape Town regularly to service the clientele she has built up.
"To encourage an existing hairdressing clientele to use our beauty salon is much easier than it is to attract unknown clients," said Shaer.
Shaer and Wories have recently won a Client Philosophy and Marketing Award in the category Entrepreneurial Excellence for their Johannesburg company.
Tanaz was one of 78 finalists of the 2006 Global Salon Business Awards held in Barcelona.
"We are very proud to have won this prestigious award and are thrilled that the industry is recognising our efforts," said Wories.
The BEST (Business Education for Salons Today) Foundation initiated and presented the awards.
The foundation identifies and honours the most successful entrepreneurial salon owners worldwide. Its vision is for all salon owners to be regarded as successful business leaders, offering financially viable career opportunities and contributing to the socio-economic prosperity of the community.
The salon is one of five South African finalists to have won this award and is one of 78 finalists, from an initial 1 700 salons nominated, from 21 countries worldwide.
The company has also won the Leisure Options Best of Johannesburg Readers' Choice Awards for the Best Salon 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Shaer believes that once a client has become a regular visitor to the salon, the challenge is to increase their spending at Tanaz.
Over the last five years the average spend per client per visit has risen by 51 percent.
"We also maintain that clients who we support will support us, so we actively support our clients' businesses, either by using their services or products ourselves, or by networking clients on an informal basis," she said.
Since its inception, Shaer and Wories have not directly paid for any marketing or advertising at Tanaz. But they have received exposure through trade exchanges.
"It is our belief that nothing retains a client like consistency and exceptional service," said Shaer.
natashap@incape.co.za