An award-winning beauty salon in Aberdeen has been left with no choice but to close its doors following financial difficulties as an effect of the pandemic.
Nail Co Nail Bar, situated on Union Street, announced its closure with “huge sadness” in an Instagram post on Monday morning.
The company, which has stores in both Aberdeen and Glasgow, has said financial issues as a result of the pandemic are amongst the main reasons for its closure.
The owner of Nail Co Nail Bar, Jayd Linney, said: “Our business has been a victim of it’s own success.
“Essentially tax killed us, VAT bills are disproportionate for the business that we have, coupled with Covid recovery loans.”
“During Covid, hospitality got a reduced rate of VAT of 5% and our business is classed as a retail business so we were still paying 20% VAT.
“Weddings and events were cancelled, leaving us with less business, but we were still having to pay the same amount as before.”
‘Other small businesses need you’
The Instagram announcement added: “In order to have carried on we’d have needed to increase our prices by a minimum of 25% and/or get rid of all our management team, reception team and social media teams.
“This is an incredibly difficult time for all businesses, particularly small local ones like us and we just couldn’t go any longer without having to vastly change/ compromise the brand you know and the standards you (rightly) have come to expect.
“We urge you to go out there and get behind the other businesses you love in any way you can. Trust us, they need you.”
The company have said they will keep clients up to date as to where their beauty technicians will be re-locating to.
‘Thank you for the last five years’
Nail Co Nail Bar began as just a nail salon five years ago in Glasgow, and in 2018 they moved up north to open their biggest salon in the Granite City.
Over the years, the business has won awards and even been featured in Vogue Magazine.
Beginning to offer more services such as eyebrow, lash and waxing treatments, they eventually opened up a training academy, providing nail and beauty training.
The salon was unable to open for four months during the first lockdown, and was forced to remain closed for a further four months during the second lockdown.