SWOT ANALYSIS ON Regis Corporation

Regis Corporation is the largest hair salon chain in the world, with over 11,000 salons (including both company-owned and franchises), it is ranked 778 on the Fortune 1000.

Its namesake is Regis Hair Salons, and it also owns the chains Carlton Hair International in Southern California, Images Salon in Las Vegas, NV, Michael of the Carlyle in Colorado Springs, and Denver, CO City Looks, Famous Hair, Best Cuts, Saturday's, HCUK, Supercuts, Pro-Cuts, Hair Crafters, Magicuts, MasterCuts, Borics Hair, Hair by Stewarts, Trade Secret, PureBeauty, SmartStyle, Cost Cutters, TGF Hair Salon, Hair Masters, Style America, Holiday Hair, and Mia & Maxx Hair Studio mostly in the United States, First Choice Haircutters based in Canada, and Vidal Sassoon, Jean Louis David, and Saint Algue based in Europe. In 2005 the company acquired Hair Club for Men and Women, in the hair loss field. The company recently sold all of its beauty schools to Empire Beauty School.

On January 10, 2006 Regis Corporation announced it would acquire the Sally Beauty Company business of Alberto-Culver. Sally has 2,419 Sally Beauty Supply stores and 822 Beauty Systems Group stores. On April 5, 2006, Alberto-Culver terminated the merger agreement.

Regis is based in Edina, Minnesota and 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.

Strengths

* Unique products

Weaknesses

* Bad communication

Opportunities

* Emerging markets and expansion abroad
* Innovation
* Online

Threats

* Cheaper technology
* Product substitution