Posted : 03/01/2002
Standing Out In An Industry
For the third straight year, LOOKING FIT's editors have succeeded in identifying some of the most innovative, dynamic and fastest-growing indoor tanning salons in North America. These salons were chosen from countless surveys submitted over the last year.
As in the past, in order to accurately assess and categorize the salons that submitted their Top 250 Salon Survey, and because of the unbalanced densities of salons across the country, we have categorized them by region.
The Field
Where do you start in compiling such a list? We asked industry manufacturers and distributors to provide us with names of salons they would recommend as some of the best in the country. We then considered the tanning salons that personally impressed us while we were on the road conducting LOOKING FIT's annual Tanning Tours, as well as past winners and nominees. With those recommendations in hand--and an impressive collection of surveys sent in by readers--we began our pursuit of excellence.
Every effort was made to gather precise information and to create an equal playing field from coast to coast. We relied on salon owners to provide us with accurate information. We took extra care in the survey to inform participants of the importance of submitting accurate information about their tanning facilities and the kind of business they do within a typical year--both during their peak season and slower times.
Industry Participation
Although we know that the listings are not necessarily inclusive of every salon that would merit a listing among the best, we feel it is a true listing of those who participated in the survey.
Due to the competitive nature of our industry, it was sometimes difficult to get salons to participate and share their success; in other cases, they were more than cooperative. We felt it was important to continue to publish this list, since no other organization tracks this information within the indoor tanning industry.
The survey asked participants to share information about the number of salons they own, how many years they've been in business and the number of tanning units at each of their locations. We also asked owners what other services they offered, such as nails, travel, hair, day spa amenities, etc., as well as what retail products they carried in their salons.
Although not published here, we also asked participating salons to provided their salon's 2001 gross revenue and the projected revenue for 2002, along with the percentage of monthly income their salons generate in lotion sales. All information was factored into the rankings and is reflected in an industry overview on pages 14-15.
Realizing that many factors contribute to a salon's success, we looked at each salon separately, judging it on the level of business it does based on the type of salon being run. We looked at the bed-to-tanner ratio at each salon, both during the busy season and off-season, and the number of additional amenities and services provided by each.
We also took into account--and ranked accordingly--the salon with five beds that serves the same proportion of tanners as a salon with 25 beds. We were careful to observe the differences between a salon stocked with countless retail items and services above and beyond a tan, and the tanning-only salons devoted to selling only retail products directly related to the indoor tanning service.
In addition, we factored in the amount of information provided by the owners themselves. Some listed information for only their top salon--others gave us information for all of their salons combined.
It was a long and tedious process, evaluating the fine distinctions within the industry first-hand by examining hundreds of salons and speaking to countless salon owners. The editors at LOOKING FIT congratulate the thousands of tanning facilities nationwide that are committed to the level of professionalism that has inspired our listing over the years.
