The Sorbet Group has changed the name of its Drybar brand to that of Hairbar, to reflect the wide range of hair services now available in its salons, which originally only catered for wash & blow dry clients.
Speaking at the formal launch held on 4 October in Sandton, Sorbet Group marketing executive and founder of Candi & Co, Candice Thurston, noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of Sorbet Drybar.
“When we first launched Sorbet Drybar, it was a quick in-and-out, wash & blow dry service where guests also had the option of nails and lash enhancements,” said Thurston. “Because more and more of our 25,000 Drybar guests over the years started requesting cut & colour services, we introduced them last year as it didn’t make sense for consumers to go to one salon for a wash & blow dry, and then have to go another salon for a cut and colour.
“Thereafter, we conducted research around the name ‘Drybar’ which is actually a term that originated in America. Respondents felt that while ‘Drybar’ was indicative of quick services for Caucasian hair, the name ‘Hairbar’ implied all services for all types of hair. Guests wanted a single place where they could cut and colour, whatever the texture of their hair, as well as have a wash and blow dry.”
Thurston revealed that Sorbet Hairbar is currently the fastest growing Sorbet brand in the group and that there are now over 15 Hairbars in South Africa. She continued: “Some of the new Sorbet beauty salons will include Hairbars and some of the existing Sorbet stores that are being revamped will also include Hairbars. However, it’s important to note that Sorbet Beauty Salon and Sorbet Hairbar are separate brands, as they reflect two different industries.
“It’s not at all a simple project to change a brand’s name so this has involved a massive backend process, but we’re really excited about launching Hairbar. We actually introduced it on 1 September to see what the market response was like and also to make sure we had everything in place before formally launching the new name.”
At the launch, Natassja Newman, educator from Sorbet’s hair colour partner, Biosense, gave a presentation which detailed the brand’s collaboration with Sorbet Hairbar. Newman also focused on the latest looks that can be created using Biosense’s Colorsense products. (Report by Joanna Sterkowicz)
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