If you’re a beauty store owner/manager or distributor in the Northeast, it’s not too early to start thinking about the Northeast Beauty Representatives Association’s 2010 trade show on March 13-14 at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The NEBRA Show has a brand-new website (nebrashow.com) where you can register online, download a special form that may qualify you for a free night if your business address is 75 miles or more from the hotel and find out about the special $169 hotel room rate, show manager Patty Paletto (NortheastBtyRepAssoc@verizon.net) told me earlier this week.

The show will also hold numerous attendee drawings for thousands of dollars in American Express gift cards, she says.

In addition, next year’s show is several weeks before Palm Sunday and Passover, which should help boost attendance.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Recently, Kansas City, Missouri-based Beauty Brands began offering the Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada-based AG Hair Cosmetics line. This is a win-win for Beauty Brands, which has 52 salon-spa-superstores primarily in the Midwest, as well as AG Hair Cosmetics, the largest independent manufacturer of professional haircare products in Canada.

In 2001, AG Hair Cosmetics, co-founded by Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year John and Lotte Davis, entered the United States with one distributor, contributing to just 5% of its total business. Today, its 40-plus products are available in 45 of the 50 U.S. states—32% of its total business—and are sold in more than 10,500 salons across North America.

Partnering with Beauty Brands will enable the salon-industry manufacturer to continue reaching the integral consumer market, while keeping its professional-only commitment, say AG Hair Cosmetics executives.

“Beauty Brands is known for its commitment to quality, customer service and innovative retail strategies. Each of the Beauty Brands stores employs an outstanding team of professionals who have extensive experience in building brands and creating enormous excitement on the consumer level,” says AG Hair Cosmetics vice president of sales and marketing Graham Fraser. “We are extremely proud to partner with a true industry leader like Beauty Brands and excited to see the opportunities we’ll create together.”

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Tolco Corp. announced today that effective July 1 its new manufacturer’s rep firm in the Northeast will be Jay Halaby & Associates (800.651.2106).

“Jay brings an enthusiastic and energetic sales staff consisting of Norman Berke, Margaret Dolor, Adam Finkelstein, Denis Langelier and Martin Lipkowitz,” says sales & marketing manager Martin Bachman. “Each sales associate shares Jay Halaby’s philosophy of providing excellent customer service and building honest, long-term relationships. In addition to the field staff, Jay’s wife Alex manages the office and supports the sales efforts, manufacturers and customers.”

Jay Halaby & Associates already represents Tolco—a supplier to the professional beauty industry of spray bottles, utility sprayers, applicator bottles, small jars and other sundry items—in the West and Midwest.

Tolco (800.537.4786) is also repped by Jay Stone Sales in the Southwest and BTB Southeast Sales Group.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Hey, did you see Conan O’Brien’s debut as the host of The Tonight Show on June 1? How about that local shopping excursion bit on Rodeo—not Drive in Beverly Hills, but Road in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw District? Of all places, he visited a beauty store.

A sign outside Eden Beauty Supply & Salon promoted “100% Human Hair and Wigs” so O’Brien went in and sampled various looks, including being a blond, having a 1970s Afro and sporting long braids. Manager Jane Lee reported to Davan Maharaj of the Los Angeles Times on June 3, “We don’t know if it means more business, but he made us laugh.”

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Last winter there was Southern California-based Ultimate Beauty Cos.’ highly successful Mercedes Giveaway. Now Nancy’s Beauty Warehouse, one of the progressive distributorship’s four divisions, is moving forward with plans for a big summer luau on Sunday, Aug. 16, which will no doubt be another winner.

Nancy’s Beauty is teaming up with top manufacturers to award one beauty supply professional with its four-day, three-night Hawaiian Getaway Vacation for two. That’s the grand prize to be raffled off at the event, which will also feature products and education as well as tropical drinks, floral leis and, of course, tasty food. Raffles of other prizes, such as a 50-inch flat-screen TV and a Nintendo Wii console, are in the works too.

To RSVP for the event or for more information, call Ultimate Beauty senior vice president Cynthia Heisser, 800.888.4055. “We’re always excited to help our loyal customers grow their businesses, and we enjoy rewarding them for their success,” says Heisser.

Beauty Store Business had two editors cover the Mercedes Giveaway at the International Salon and Spa Expo. We aren’t missing this summer luau either. Aloha!

See you next Wednesday,
Marc