INDUSTRY NEWS

Professional Beauty & Hair 2024 to take place in April

Professional Beauty & Hair, in partnership with Irish Beauty and headline sponsor Treatwell, will return to Dublin on 21-22 April, with the event taking place once again at the RDS in Ballsbridge.

The two-day show will feature exhibitors from across all sectors of the market, including skincare, hair, spa, barbering, aesthetics, nails, lashes and make-up.

Professional trade visitors will have the opportunity to connect and network with industry peers, and to discover the latest products, brands and trends.

Three live stages will host a line-up of industry experts, who will give talks, live demos and advice on a variety of topics.

Meanwhile, the Nail Competitions and Make-up Competitions will invite entrants to showcase their talent and skills, giving them a unique opportunity to raise their profile in the industry.

With Professional Beauty & Hair 2024 already shaping up to be bigger and more exciting than ever, you can now register your interest on professionalbeauty.ie/show, where the line-up of exhibitors, speakers, competitions and other additions to this year's event will be revealed in the coming months.

Sick pay entitlement increases to five days from January

The entitlement to paid sick leave in Ireland is increasing from three to five days, effective from 1 January 2024.

Workers are now entitled to up to five days of sick leave in a year, paid at 70% of gross earnings. This is the second stage of a four-year Government plan that will see employer-paid sick leave gradually rise to 10 days in 2026.

The plan is mainly intended to provide sick pay coverage to those employees, often in low-paid and precarious roles, who do not have access to a company sick leave scheme. It is designed to ensure that all employees get a minimum level of financial compensation if they are unable to work due to illness or injury.

“This gradual increase in paid sick leave gives employers time to adjust and to plan for its introduction, but also gives workers certainty about their own rights,” said Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail Neale Richmond.

“The Increased Cost of Business Scheme, announced in Budget 2024, will provide direct financial support to small businesses who are most impacted by any increased costs.”

Treatwell announces Claire Davenport as new CEO

Beauty and wellness booking platform Treatwell has announced Claire Davenport as its new CEO.

The Cambridge University graduate is succeeding Giampero Marinò in the role.

Davenport began her career in the investment banking sector, before taking on a variety of leadership roles in a number of digital companies, such as Skype and HelloFresh. Over the past three years, she served as the CEO of the small business marketplace Not On The High Street.

According to Treatwell, Davenport is set to lead the company into a new era of growth and innovation, as her appointment comes at a significant moment in Europe's beauty and wellness sectors, where traditional services and technological innovation are coming together.

It said that her extensive experience will be pivotal to Treatwell's strategy, which involves a renewed commitment to its online platform, as it continues to focus on investing in, and enhancing, its products and technology.

Treatwell currently has a presence in more 13 countries, along with over 800 employees.