The second store in the Medellin - The Barber Cartel Gentlemen Groomers franchise has opened, in Parkhurst, Johannesburg.
Located at 68 6th Street, the new store officially opened on 22 March but was forced to close its doors five days later when government announced the COVID-19 national lockdown. The store reopened on 22 June.
“In terms of business since we reopened, I can say that some days are good, while others are really quiet,” says founder/ owner, Marlon Naidoo. “I think the industry has been stigmatised to the extent that people now have fear. It was published that the chance of infection is 8/10 when visiting your barber, but only 3/10 if visiting your supermarket. How in the world does that make sense considering that we have all our required hygiene & safety protocols and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in place? So we are battling this stigma on a daily basis.”
‘Man-cave with a difference’
It was little over a year ago that Naidoo opened his first Medellin store in Pineslopes, Fourways. With its unique concept and design that was inspired by the TV series ‘Narcos’ (about Columbian drug lord, Pablo Escobar), this stylish ‘man-cave with a difference’, rapidly gained a loyal customer base.
Naidoo continues: “Regarding the location of our new store, we did intensive research as to where the gap in the market was and aligned that to our current store data, and Parkhurst was a hit. In addition, we conducted surveys on social media and this was reaffirmed. While there are other barbers in the area, we remain confident that our offering is unique and that our value proposition remains customer centricity.”
He notes that the new store is very similar in look and feel to the original store, aside from the addition of an IV bar.
“The new store is 120 square metres of awesomeness. Our marketing is purely based on referrals and social media. We strongly believe that the only real endorsement is a happy customer,” he concludes.