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Urban Company Recommends "Home Delivery" as Way Forward for the Beauty Industry | ||
New Delhi, Delhi, India Urban Company commends the Government of India for taking swift and decisive action to curb the spread of COVID-19 through lockdowns. Going forward, we have to delicately balance both lives and livelihood, as highlighted by our honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji through the slogan, “Jaan bhi, Jahaan bhi”. Consequently, Urban Company appeals to the government to allow at home beauty and barber services to resume in all zones after Lockdown 3.0 ends on 17th May. As of now, these services are only operational in orange and green zones, while red zones constitute the bulk of the industry.
The beauty industry provides livelihood to nearly 70 lakh people in India1. Self-employed women beauticians form a large part of this workforce. Many of them are single breadwinners for their families, and the ongoing COVID-19 crises has adversely impacted their livelihood. Depriving these individuals of incomes for an extended period of time will lead to forced migration and disruption of families. It will also deprive the industry of trained workforce built with years of effort and investment. It is pivotal that the government keeps their interests in mind while formulating the next set of lockdown guidelines.
Hence, Urban Company urges the following:
As the government considers graded opening up of the economy, Urban Company recommends allowing salons, barber shops and self employed individuals to deliver services at home across zones (Including through online aggregators like Urban Company), similar to the restaurant industry which has been allowed to deliver food at home (Including through online platforms like Swiggy & Zomato). In the case of the latter, restaurants were allowed to deliver food to customers at home while dine-in operations remained suspended. This move helped restaurants earn revenues, pay employees and extended workforce, and remain afloat during the lockdown period. Services delivered at home are typically done in a 1-on-1 format, while minimizing crowding and congregation. This move will allow both salon chains and self employed service professionals to cater to consumers while also earning livelihood.
Further, Urban Company recommends a comprehensive set of protocols for beauticians and barbers while they deliver services at home. These protocols specify usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves, mandatory use of the Aarogya Setu app, daily temperature checks, single use sachets and disposables, sanitization of all tools before the service delivery, no services in containment zones, health and safety training of self-employed professionals, and payment via digital means. Details of these SOPs have been given in this press release.
“We believe that under the ambit of “Jaan Bhi Jahaan bhi”, the beauty services industry should also be allowed to operate, including in red zones. Our biggest focus right now should be to conserve jobs and protect livelihoods of the over 60 lakh people that the sector employs, most of whom are women.
“Further, to ensure safety & health of customers and professionals, we have suggested 8 key safety protocols which beauticians and barbers can follow,” said Varun Khaitan, Co-founder, Urban Company.
8 key safety protocols for beauticians and barbers to follow while delivering services at home:
1. Data as per research report by NSDC and KPMG - nsdcindia.org/sites/default/files/Beauty-Wellness.pdf
About Urban Company Founded in Nov 2014, Urban Company (formerly UrbanClap) is a home services company offering services such as beauty and spa at home, cleaning, plumbing, carpentry, appliance repair, painting, etc. through its mobile app and website. It operates in 22 cities across India, UAE, Australia and Singapore. The company has nearly 30,000 service partners, with over 10,000 beauticians and barbers. It helps them with training, credit, product procurement, insurance, technology etc. As a result, many of its professionals earn 2-3x more than the industry (E.g. Average Urban Company beautician earns INR 40-50k per month vs. INR 15-20k per month in salons). This full-stack approach helps the company live up to its promise of delivering high-quality, delightful services at home. |
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