Europe is an old place. We North Americans tend to think of anything older than 200 years’ as being ancient! But to those of you in Europe, “old” is way … older. Some of you ride your bicycles and Fiats past castles and standing stones and cheeses that have outlasted whole empires and languages!
We’ve sent a lot of hair and accessory products over the Atlantic, and we’re thankful for every HD shopper who calls the Old World home. You’ve been such loyal customers from the very beginning that we wanted to show our appreciation the best way we knew how: We brought you something new. Two things, actually.
In December, 2012, we launched two new stores: one for the UK and one for the EU. Now that the new stores have had time to warm up, we’re circling back to answer some of the questions you’ve been asking about them.
The Problem: an Ocean and Some Crazy Laws
We had a big problem and the ocean was partly to blame. The lovely, cold, inconveniently placed Atlantic sits wetly between us and many of our most devoted customers. Sure, we could send you your tapes, shampoos and styro heads, but shipping across the Atlantic was pretty expensive. And, delivery took forever! By the time your order arrived, you might have totally forgotten what was coming and why you wanted it.
Even worse, some of our products, like the party-size C22 solvent, were too big or too flammable to cross the ocean. Air carriers said ‘No!’ and we couldn’t do anything about it!
And just to add injury to inconvenience: VAT and customs taxes made your products suddenly more expensive than they appeared when you added them to your shopping cart.
We decided to do something new.
The Solution: More Stuff, Faster, for Less
We couldn’t get rid of the Atlantic. Our research team said it was unfeasible. “Cost prohibitive,” the official report stated.
Instead we stocked a new Fulfillment Center in Europe with everything we have at our Pennsylvania headquarters. We went all out, hiring a wonderful Dutch staff that really “gets” our unique hair business and our high customer service standards.
Next, we buddied-up with UPS and Post NL, and negotiated the lowest shipping rates and fastest delivery times you’ll find anywhere. Shipping to Europe from Europe removed lots of the red tape and customs fees.
Now anyone in the EU or UK can get more products delivered faster, for less. If you live in the UK or the EU, just click on the flag on any page in our store, and choose your region.
What’s Next for Our European Customers?
We’ve got big plans for Europe! Here’s how we hope to expand our EU and UK services in the coming months and years:
- Shipping hair systems from our European Fulfillment Center
- Opening a customer service call center, just for European customers
- And on the wish list…maybe one day launching a European retail salon to support and educate clients
And who knows? Someday we might have HD outposts all over the world to offer more complete services and better shipping rates, no matter which continent you live on!