Bosses blame closure of city centre hair salon on rising costs and tough trading conditions

A hair salon in the heart of Manchester city centre has closed its doors without any warning.

The Nicky Clarke salon in Spinningfields has ceased trading with around 20 staff thought to have lost their jobs.

The news came on the same day that two high profile venues in the city centre went into administration as a result of tough trading conditions in central Manchester.

Fine dining restaurant Manchester House and Artisan – both on Bridge Street – have gone into administration putting 139 jobs at risk.

The Nicky Clarke salon ceased trading on Saturday even though it was a favourite with celebrities and TV stars.

However, the owners claimed they were forced to make the decision due to losses, rising costs and tough trading conditions.

The high street has been badly hit by falls in consumer spending and there are fears that this Christmas will be one of the worse for a decade.

A spokesman for Nicky Clarke said: “The closure of the Manchester salon is one which has not been taken lightly.

“Over the past few years we have heavily invested in keeping the Manchester salon running, despite its losses and difficult trading conditions.

“We had hoped the salon would recover but increasing rent and rates in the area have also added to the challenge for us and other businesses around us.

“It’s never a good time to share disappointing news, but difficult market conditions in the service and retail industry have continued to put pressure on the market and subsequently us as a business.

“As a business we must ensure we are fit for the future and have to make difficult decisions to not sustain parts of the business which continue to underperform.

“We are still committed to continued development and growth of the business, with the Nicky Clarke brand continuing to drive forward its product categories.”

Staff have posted a note in the window saying they hope to find work as a team at a new venue.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “After a challenging August, constrained consumer spending in September has resulted in the weakest sales growth for five months.

“Retail represents five per cent of the economy and pays almost 25 per cent of the business rates bill and this disproportionate cost burden is especially hard to bear given the current trend in sales.

“The effect can be seen in the fact that there have been 3,200 UK store closures in the past three years.

“The Government has said it wants to “back business” and retailers are waiting to see if this is just talk or if there will be meaningful action – like a freeze in business rates in the Budget.”