Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/528948
door and also its own styling chair and wash sink. A single suite measures about 100 square feet, a single deluxe model 150 square feet, and a double 200 square feet. Cirque Salon does not in- volve itself in the day-to-day operations of the independent businesses leasing its spaces. The company provides no reception desk, nor does it as- sist in making appointments or facilitate payment process- ing. This model allows an op- erator to run a business free of any concerns over real estate. Cirque Salon owner-operators tend to come in with three to seven years of business ex- perience and a client list of roughly 350. "I think the growth poten- tial is tremendous," said Mark Siebert, CEO of iFranchise Group, a Homewood, Ill.– based consulting firm that pro- vided services to Cirque Salon during the early stages of the latter's franchise model setup. "It is a very interesting concept from a franchise perspective, because it is largely a real estate play." Franchise fees run to about $40,000. Schweikert co-founded Cirque Salon with David Manzi, who is the enterprise's head of operations. The two have been friends for more than 25 years, ever since they were students at the College of Charleston. Their talents are mutually complementary: Schweik- ert brings a background in real estate finance and investment, and Manzi is a multiunit franchisee whose involve- ments have included Once Upon a Child and Plato's Closet. "We are a great addition for land- lords," said Manzi. Cirque Salon makes a hefty investment in the space build-out and design. Because of such tenant improvements, the com- pany's goal is to be a long-term ten- ant. To be sure, Cirque Salon brings in a steady flow of customers to a property throughout the entire day, he says. Furthermore, the concept is adaptable, Schweikert says, able to fit into many differ- ent types of retail settings. Some upscale salons require a class-A shopping center, for example, but this is not the case with Cirque Sa- lon, which fits well into not just 'A' but also 'B' or even 'C' shopping centers. The Charleston site is located in a traditional in-line shopping center with such co-tenants as Bed Bath & Beyond, Ross Dress for Less and Cost Plus World Market. T h e c o m p a n y w i l l b e seeking to expand through- out the mid-Atlantic and in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Initially, Cirque Salon intends to stay close to its Charleston base to keep an eye on franchise growth. Likely candidates for new locations include the cities of Greenville, S.C., Raleigh- Durham, N.C., Jacksonville, Fla., and Atlanta. Cirque Salon also plans to keep ex- panding the base of company- owned units to about 15 over that period. The company is now negotiating a lease for a company-owned site in north- ern Virginia. The weekly fee the salon professionals fixed for the space includes utilities and water. Operators also are required to have a business license and their own payment-processing system. Cirque Salon tenants like both having their own salon suite and the sense of com- munity and social interaction with peers, says Schweikert. "There is the notion," he explained, "of 'indepen- dent, but not alone.'" SCT J u l y 2 0 1 5 / S C T 25