Sunbed shops surge across UK’s poorest areas, study finds

North East leads UK in sunbed salon numbers

Figures from Companydata.com show that the UK now has 3,095 tanning salons, compared with 2,103 a decade ago. 

That represents a 47% increase since 2016, with the total breaking through the 3,000 mark for the first time this year. 

A further 126 businesses have opened since January, almost twice the average of 70 new salons a year recorded since the pandemic.

The expansion has not been evenly spread across the country. The North East tops the regional figures, with 233 salons, giving it a rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people. 

Northern Ireland comes next, with 102 businesses and a rate of 5.3 per 100,000 residents.

At the other end of the scale, the South West has just 2.7 salons per 100,000 people. The South East records three, while London has 3.2, all below the national figure of 4.5.

Tanning salons decline across Europe but surge in Britain

Researchers also identified a link between household wealth and the availability of tanning facilities. 

The four UK regions with the highest disposable incomes tend to have the fewest salons relative to their populations, while less affluent areas show the opposite pattern.

The figures stand in stark contrast to developments elsewhere in Europe. 

Germany has lost 16% of its tanning salons since 2016, while the Netherlands has seen a 21% decline. Across the rest of the continent, numbers have dropped by 10% overall.

With other major markets shrinking, the UK now represents 40% of the tanning salons recorded across Europe.

Tanning salons keep growing in areas facing financial strain

The rise is taking place against a backdrop of financial strain in some of the communities where salons are most concentrated. 

Residents in certain areas are also facing pressure from proposed council tax increases, with one local authority having attempted a rise of 94%.

Uttam Ramdaras, a data analyst at Companydata.com, pointed to the wider European decline in tanning businesses, noting that salons have been gradually disappearing from the market in other countries. 

Britain's continued growth marks a clear departure from that trend.