Regis Corporation is an American operator of

hair salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment dealing with cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, and medical spas. Beauty treatments Massage for the body is a b ...

s. As of August 2021, it has 5,563 franchised and 276 company-owned salons. Its headquarters are in

Saint Louis Park, Minnesota St. Louis Park is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 50,010 at the 2020 census. It is a first-ring suburb immediately west of Minneapolis. Other adjacent cities include Edina, Golden Valley, Minnetonka, ...

. The primary trade names Regis salons operates under are SmartStyle (located in

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

stores),

Supercuts Supercuts is a hair salon franchise with more than 2,400 locations across the United States. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1975, by Geoffrey M. Rappaport and Frank E. Emmett. The company's first location was in Albany, ...

(located in strip malls), Cost Cutters,

First Choice Haircutters First Choice Haircutters is a Canadian hair salon company. The company originated with a single salon in London, Ontario, in 1980 and began franchising about 2 years later. First Choice Haircutters was purchased by Regis Corporation in October 20 ...

and Roosters Men's Grooming Center (Roosters).

Origins

Regis was founded in 1922 by Paul and Florence Kunin as Kunin Beauty Salon, and renamed Regis in 1958 by their son Myron who acquired the chain. Hair Masters at Crossroads at Orenco Station - Hillsboro, Oregon

Hair Masters at Crossroads at Orenco Station - Hillsboro, Oregon

Acquisitions and divestitures

In 2005 the company acquired Hair Club for Men and Women, but sold it to the Japanese wigmaker Aderans in 2012. The company recently sold all of its beauty schools to

Empire Beauty Schools Empire Beauty School is a large system of for-profit cosmetology schools in the United States. Headquartered in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, it is the largest system of cosmetology schools in the country. Founded in 1946, it currently has 76 scho ...

. On January 10, 2006, Regis Corporation announced it would acquire the Sally Beauty Company business of

Alberto-Culver Alberto-Culver was an American corporation with international sales whose principal business was manufacturing hair and skin beauty care products under such brands as Alberto VO5, Andrew Collnge, St. Ives (skin care products), TRESemmé, FDS, ...

. Sally has 2,419 Sally Beauty Supply stores and 822 Beauty Systems Group stores. However, on April 5, 2006, Alberto-Culver terminated the merger agreement and later Sally was spun off as a separate company. Regis acquired a major competitor ''The Barbers, Hairstyling for Men & Women, Inc.'', which had previously brought the companies: The ''Cost Cutters,'' ''Family Hair Care,'' ''City Looks Salons International'' and ''We Care Hair.'' Other major acquisitions included ''Sassoon'' and ''HCUK.'' Regis sells ''Designline'' hair care products (2004) as well. In October 2017 Regis Corporation sold its Regis Salons, MasterCuts, and UK Supercuts to The Beautiful Group. These salons became franchises keeping the same brand names. At the end of December 2019 Regis terminated its franchise agreements with The Beautiful Group and took back 200 salons with the stated intention of finding a new buyer. The remaining salons are to be shut down.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Franchises Hairdressing salon chains American companies established in 1922 Retail companies established in 1922 Retail companies of the United States Companies based in Edina, Minnesota Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange 1922 establishments in Minnesota