However, anyone who truly loves this industry never really leaves, and a little more than two years later the twin brothers were lured back to the industry greeted by enthusiastic cheers at the recent ITA Tanning World Expo. LOOKING FIT had the opportunity to talk to Ronnie and Johnny about their return to the company they founded more than 20 years ago and what lies ahead.
LOOKING FIT: Many vendors and salon owners were ecstatic to see you at the recent ITA Tanning World Expo. What prompted your return to the company you founded?
ALLENS: We greatly enjoyed our time at ITA Expo and being there was an appropriate way to kick off our return to Four Seasons. We have vast experience in this industry and are committed to its success. In fact, we never even moved our offices when we sold the company two years ago—we’re still here working alongside Four Seasons' employees.
Q: What are your official titles?
A: We both are chairmen on the board of directors for Four Seasons.
Q: How involved will you be in the day-to-day operations of the company?
A: We are involved in virtually every aspect of the business. We have an open door policy—anyone can walk in and ask us a question about any aspect of the business and we will do our very best to help find a solution.
Q: What makes Four Seasons so unique?
A: Four Seasons is the only employee-owned company in the industry. This means our employees share in the company’s success. It also means they go above and beyond to make sure each and every customer is satisfied with the products and the services they receive. Another thing that sets us apart is we have been in business since 1984. During that time, we have listened closely to our customers and worked hard to provide specific products that meet their individual needs. We have been through changes in our industry but maintained our original commitment: “Give salon owners what they want and need to operate a successful tanning salon.”
Q: What exciting developments are taking place at Four Seasons?
A: Each year we work to improve our offerings. We have streamlined our processing system to process orders faster and with exceptionally low errors. We offer more salon consultation services than ever before by helping our salon owners with marketing tools such as images and promotional materials.
Now, all our product specialists use PCs, and this has greatly improved communication with our customers. We want to continually improve the efficiency with which we provide information and service.
Q: How has the company evolved to meet the industry’s changing needs in this time increasing salon consolidation?
A: Salons are not the same—they have different needs. We continue to evolve with the industry by listening to our customers and giving them one-onone assistance to accommodate their needs. We live in an era of information and technology and know our customers want more than products — they also knowledge and service. That is why our product specialists spend a great deal of time in training and will settle for nothing less than excellence. Our customers speak, and we listen and put solutions into action.
Q: Where do you see the indoor tanning industry heading?
A: Salon owners are speaking up for their right to tan and making a point to exalt the benefits of sensible UV exposure. The UV Foundation is working hard to explore the positive effects of UV light and to increasing public awareness about those benefits. Education is more important than ever and will bring positive results to the end consumer, salon owners, and the industry as a whole.
Each year the industry’s manufacturers create great products to achieve and maintain the best tan imaginable. The indoor tanning industry seems more focused than ever before and has a clear, precise direction.
Q: What exciting new products will Four Seasons launch in 2007?
A: We have the latest tanning lotions for 2007, mysalonsite.com upgrades, Mystic Tan, Radiance high-pressure lamps, and our updated www.fstanning.com Web site.
Q: How has Four Seasons changed the way salons view the role of distributors in this industry?
A: Our hope is that salon owners realize that products are basically easy to find, but finding a distributor that works every day on their behalf is not.
We hope that salon owners see value in the service we provide, the time we take to make sure everything is just right before their order ships, and the help we provide along the way. We measure our own success by how their products are moving off their shelves.
