The Science Of Men’s Luxury Grooming – January 2016

From royal barbers to the most coveted men’s grooming salon in the country, Truefitt & Hill has gone through all aspects of luxury. We speak to Mr. Krishna Gupta, Director, about what luxury grooming actually entails

HOW DID TRUEFITT & HILL BECOME THE ROYAL BARBERS AND CONTINUE THE TRADITION ONWARDS?
William Francis Truefitt was appointed Court Wig Maker to George III in 1805, thus how the tradition began. In 2005, Truefitt & Hill is honoured by HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburg with a royal warrant.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BRAND MANTRA TODAY?
Grooming Men for Greatness

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR GROOMING SERVICES AND PRODUCT RANGE AND IS IT ANY DIFFERENT IN INDIA THAN YOUR BRANCHES WORLDWIDE?
Enriching men’s grooming lives for more than two centuries, Truefitt & Hill has provided discerning gentleman with only the finest in products and services. We accomplish this by offering consistently high quality grooming services and by developing superior grooming products that are perfect for daily use.
Our offering gives men the opportunity to look and feel their very best. In terms of services we have royal shave, haircut, manicure, pedicure, facials and massages for men. Along with this we have shaving cream, colognes, aftershaves, razor, brushes etc.

YOU ARE THE FIRST COMPANY TO HAVE FEMALE BARBERS IN YOUR FOLD. HOW IS IT FARING?
It is great; we have received positive response from clients as well as the barbers. We are in the process to train more female barbers to have one or two in each outlet.

WHAT WERE THE MARKET ENTRY CHALLENGES FOR THE INDIAN MARKET AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Attrition of staff was one of the challenges. We overcame it by incentivising and with the help of internal growth prospects. Another challenge we faced was of bringing a new concept to a new market. But we could overcome it by selling the experience and getting many people to try the services and concept.
We were the first company to offer luxury and high end products for men’s grooming, with a wide range dedicated towards men. It was a big challenge to increase product sales initially, but once people started experiencing the quality of the products in the service and purchasing it immediately, we could overcome this one too.

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE INDIAN GROOMING INDUSTRY?
The Indian grooming industry is evolving constantly with several new brands and concepts coming in. Men have become more aware about grooming and they take the time and effort to go out and get groomed. It is an extremely fast growing segment with great scope throughout the country.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT GROOMING TIPS AND MUST HAVES FOR OUR YOUNG READERS?
Always stay well groomed for a great impression in any situation!

Volume 5 Issue 7