how about a new shop?

[brendan byrne]

im thinking of moving to spain, im a barber by trade and was thinking of maybe opening a new shop somewhere over there?

[Suenneil]

Originally Posted by brendan byrne

im thinking of moving to spain, im a barber by trade and was thinking of maybe opening a new shop somewhere over there?

Hi Brendan

Not sure where in Spain you were thinking of moving to ? I live on the Costa del Sol and there are plenty of barbers / salons here - and to be honest a lot of them are struggling or closing down. Like any business at the moment things are tough - and unless you have a super duper product or service thats not available anywhere else then you are going to need a helluva lot of luck to make it work.

BUT thats only my opinion of course! and dont let that stop you researching and having a look to see what the competition is like. Also do you speak any Spanish ? its always better with a new business over here to appeal to ALL the residents rather than specifically targetting the expat market .... for a start you could be limiting your customers and therefore your income, and also it can be quite isolating to only mix with the expat community rather than trying to get to know the real locals who can only add to your business .... and to your experience of Spain.

Do you know Spain well ? have you visited places that are of interest to you for the move ?? .... I know that I realised you often "look and see" a place very differently when you are on holiday to what you need to "look and See" when considering taking a big step for a permanent move.

Good luck
Sue

[brendan byrne]

thanks for the reply!, i have been to spain 8 or 9 times and while i have seen many hairdresser's i can only recall seeing one real barber shop! is there that many?

[Suenneil]

Originally Posted by brendan byrne

thanks for the reply!, i have been to spain 8 or 9 times and while i have seen many hairdresser's i can only recall seeing one real barber shop! is there that many?

Hi Brendan

So you know it pretty well then I suppose ! lol .... not sure what area, but I have lived inland (Coin) and on the coast in San Pedro, Elviria and Estepona - all have had barber shops, predominantly Spanish, in addition to the unisex salons.. I work in Malaga City and again there are barber shops here too . But again please dont take my views as the be all and end all! lol its only what Ive seen, and my hubby used to them every 6 weeks before I shaved it all off for him and keep it that way now! better in all this heat and cheaper too!

Sue

[brendan byrne]

thanks for the info, its still in my mind so i'll keep looking.
i was thinking of the costa blanca more than the soll.

[SteveHall]

There are many barbershops in Los Boliches, Fuengirola, Calahonda where I have been living but many fewer in Torrevieja where my house is. The best one in Torrevieja (Gordon's - from Inverness) must have been a little gold mine. Always busy, always a queue. He must have been taking 60 euros an hour for much of past 8 years. BUT, last week, I was talking to Mario in Calahonda - he had had 3 chairs and was now down to just one. Dutch/Spanish guy in Fuengirola had had 2 chairs and now hardly covered his own costs. Guess, if you get the right salon in the right town you have a winner. Low start up costs, you choose the hours and if you want to put food on the table you'll probably get by. Remember you will be able to charge a fraction of what I guess you charge at the moment. Basic haircut in Norway 43 euros, Spain 7/10 euros! As to whether you will prosper.......

GOOD LUCK.

[brendan byrne]

Originally Posted by SteveHall

There are many barbershops in Los Boliches, Fuengirola, Calahonda where I have been living but many fewer in Torrevieja where my house is. The best one in Torrevieja (Gordon's - from Inverness) must have been a little gold mine. Always busy, always a queue. He must have been taking 60 euros an hour for much of past 8 years. BUT, last week, I was talking to Mario in Calahonda - he had had 3 chairs and was now down to just one. Dutch/Spanish guy in Fuengirola had had 2 chairs and now hardly covered his own costs. Guess, if you get the right salon in the right town you have a winner. Low start up costs, you choose the hours and if you want to put food on the table you'll probably get by. Remember you will be able to charge a fraction of what I guess you charge at the moment. Basic haircut in Norway 43 euros, Spain 7/10 euros! As to whether you will prosper.......

GOOD LUCK.

thanks steve, i have been to torrevieja and i was planning to visit soon.
i might cut your hair yet.
is there many empty shops in the area?

[jojo]

if you have nothing to lose in the uk, you are free and single then give it a go. In my area, there are very few hairdressers or barbers shops (there are two I can think of) but there are squillions of mobile hairdressers and people who work from their homes. they advertise in local shops and word of mouth.

Again in my town there are a few empty shops, but would you risk commiting yourself to opening a business?? do you speak and write Spanish? do you have capital that you can afford to lose, do you understand the way Spanish do business.... ?????

Maybe you could rent a chair as they do it the UK, in an already existing barbers to start with to help build up a client base??????


Jo xxx

[SteveHall]

Originally Posted by brendan byrne

thanks steve, i have been to torrevieja and i was planning to visit soon.
i might cut your hair yet.
is there many empty shops in the area?

1000000s. The place is a ghost-town BUT it will be back. Also, it has a huge Irish community on the South Side - Orihuela Costa. The town is my personal idea of hell on earth but "One man's meat etc..." You'd certainly not need to speak Spanish (nobody else does there!) ..... and you would survive or prosper according to your ability as a barber and not according to which councillors' hair you were cutting. (Mixing metaphors badly.....again!)

[brendan byrne]

Originally Posted by SteveHall

1000000s. The place is a ghost-town BUT it will be back. Also, it has a huge Irish community on the South Side - Orihuela Costa. The town is my personal idea of hell on earth but "One man's meat etc..." You'd certainly not need to speak Spanish (nobody else does there!) ..... and you would survive or prosper according to your ability as a barber and not according to which councillors' hair you were cutting. (Mixing metaphors badly.....again!)

thanks steve, i will look into it! only have to work there, not live there