One indication that men's high-end HBC may be set for a resurgence in demand, especially as the economy rebounds, is the investment that Procter & Gamble has made in The Art of Shaving. The consumer products conglomerate, which has owned the Gillette brand since 2005, purchased the high-end retail shaving and “barber spa” chain in June 2009. The company also purchased Zirh, a premium men's skin care brand last year, during a time when many luxury brands were struggling.
“Zirh is a relatively small brand,” a P&G spokesman told Reuters last summer, but “we fully expect it to grow, and grow quickly.”
These premium brands will almost certainly remain the purview of salons and department stores for the foreseeable future, but P&G's bullishness on premium men's HBC products could be an indication that the market for higher-end items will return.
Billy Lowe, a salon owner in Hollywood, Calif., agreed.
“The height of men's salons, and men's grooming parlors reached its peak probably three to four years ago, and seems to have been silenced ever since,” said Lowe. “However I believe if a salon … is savvy — they will return to the male focus, and [will offer] additional items to support their male clientele's grooming needs.”