Australian hair salon chain Just Cuts has opened its first Ontario location in Guelph and says it plans to expand further across Ontario with additional salons already confirmed for London, Hamilton and Toronto.
The company said the opening of its salon at Stone Road Mall marks the start of its Canadian expansion. The brand, which says it operates more than 230 salons across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, plans to open locations at Masonville Place in London in November, followed by Limeridge Mall in Hamilton and Dufferin Mall in Toronto in early January.
The expansion brings the company’s walk-in haircut model to the Canadian market as it seeks to establish a presence in Ontario. Just Cuts said it specializes exclusively in haircuts rather than offering a broader range of salon services, positioning the model around walk-in availability without appointments.
“Canada has always stood out as a market that shares many of the same values as Australia: great service, strong communities and busy lifestyles,” said Just Cuts founder Denis McFadden. “We’re excited to partner with Canadian entrepreneurs, create rewarding careers for local Stylists and build Salons that feel genuinely connected to the communities they serve.”
The company said every Canadian salon will be locally owned and operated by franchisees while operating under the Just Cuts brand. It said stylists will be trained to the same professional standards used throughout its international network.
Just Cuts also said each location will carry its Justice Professional haircare collection, a product line developed for use within the company’s salon network.
The Guelph location is the first step in what the company described as a broader Ontario growth strategy. In addition to the four announced locations, it said it is considering further sites across the province, although it did not identify specific communities or timelines.
To mark the opening of each Canadian salon, the company said the first 30 customers at every new location will receive a complimentary haircut. It also said all haircuts will be offered at a promotional price of $19 plus tax during the first six weeks after each salon opens.
The company said the expansion is intended to introduce its walk-in service model to Canadian customers as it builds its presence in the province.
More from Retail Insider:
What an incredible opening in Guelph. That agency did an awesome job!
Who is advising these foreign franchise chains to enter Canada, and what (if anything) do they actually know about this country? Recently a number of U.S. sub shop chains have arrived here, touting the fact that they would introduce “their concept” of fresh-made sub sandwiches prepared with fresh ingredients to Canadian consumers. This of course is utterly ludicrous given that at least one national Canadian sub shop chain has been operating under the identical model since the 1960s.
Now Just Cuts has opened in Canada, with the goal of “introducing” Canadians to the novel idea of a salon with walk-in service. Did nobody do any research prior to opening the first location? There are literally DOZENS of hair salons in every metro area in this country, offering walk-in haircuts. I visited one just last week and after about a 10 minute wait received a haircut from a stylist. The lack of market research by these franchisors is utterly laughable.