Wanting to cater to the mass market, David Charlton started and grew David's Salon into a thriving business with a loyal customer base and strong brand recall.

Hair salons may have been one of the badly hit industries during the pandemic, with 33,803 establishments that offer personal services for wellness in the Philippines in 2020—as opposed to the 41,270 active establishments in 2019, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2020 statistics.

However, given the large market for haircare—valued at PHP57.2 billion in 2021 with a forecasted increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 3% from 2021 to 2026—there is an opportunity for hair salons to bounce back.

Among the many salons in the Philippines, David's Salon is a top-of-mind choice and it has certainly made a major comeback in the past two years. Established in 1989 by David Charlton, it aims to bring fine European hairdressing to the local market through its wide range of hair and beauty services. Since its inception, it has grown into the biggest chain of hair salons in the Philippines.

“We take pride in providing the highest quality of service at prices everyone can afford,” David says. Here's how he did it.

An Englishman in Manila

In the late 70’s, David, a British businessman, came to the Philippines to manage Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s in-house salon Rêver—the beauty hub of the rich and influential. A couple of years later, he bought Rêver and ventured on his own. At that time, there were already nine Réver branches mostly located in hotels around the metro.

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