Hair’s a growing market

July 27, 2016

Hayden Smith | The Cairns Post                                                     

The owners of DFO Cairns Hairhouse Warehouse have high hopes for their new business venture.

Chris and Tracey Johnson moved to Cairns from Western Australia in January with the goal of taking an already-thriving store to new heights. Buoyed by the $40 million sale of Cairns’ DFO Shopping Centre to Sentinel Property Group in April, they hit the ground running upon officially taking the reins on May 17.

“We realised it was time for a change,” said Mr Johnson, who has a background in business management. “It was our plan to buy into a franchise because of the amount of support it allows you.”

Formed by Melbourne brothers Joseph and Tony Latouf in 1992, Hairhouse Warehouse has about 130 stores nationwide. Open seven days a week, DFO Cairns Hairhouse Warehouse has more than 2700 hair and fashion products on offer.

Mr Johnson said he and his wife had a vision to grow the business, which employs six staff members. “We have confidence in the Cairns economy and believe we ave come in at the right time,” he said. “With the current level of construction as well as planned developments and the improved tourist numbers, we think the local economy will continue to grow. “With the new shopping centre owners and management in place, there are a lot of improvements under way and being planned for the near future. We think the new owners have a clear vision, which will hopefully take the shopping experience to another level.”

Mr and Mrs Johnson, who have two teenage daughters and live at Trinity Park, are in Cairns for the “long haul”. With extensive experience in retail, Mrs Johnson said she was enjoying getting to know the customers. “I’ve always had an interest in beauty and hair,”she said. “If people want something we will try and go above and beyond to help them.”