Abrupt Closure Leaves Students And Staff In Limbo

WEB Regency Beauty shuts 79 locations, including 5 in Minnesota

Abrupt closure leaves students and staff in limbo

By Maura Lerner and Paul Walsh, Star Tribune

WEB Regency Beauty Institute, a Minnesota-based beauty school, has abruptly closed all 79 of its campuses, including five in Minnesota.

The closure was announced in a statement on the company's website Friday afternoon. The statement said the company had "made the difficult decision to close all of our schools, effective immediately."

The closure has left students and staff in limbo. Many students had already paid for tuition and fees, and some were in the middle of their programs.

"I'm just really upset," said one student, who asked not to be identified. "I've been going to school here for two years, and now I don't know what I'm going to do."

Staff members were also caught off guard by the closure. One employee, who also asked not to be identified, said they were told about the closure in an email Friday morning.

"We were all just shocked," the employee said. "We had no idea this was coming."

The closure of WEB Regency Beauty Institute is the latest in a series of recent closures of beauty schools in Minnesota. In the past year, two other beauty schools, Aveda Institute and Empire Beauty School, have also closed their doors.

The closures are raising concerns about the future of the beauty industry in Minnesota. Some experts say the closures are a sign of a declining demand for beauty services.

"The beauty industry is changing," said one industry expert. "People are increasingly getting their beauty services done at home or at discount salons. This is putting pressure on traditional beauty schools."

The closure of WEB Regency Beauty Institute is a reminder that even well-established businesses can be vulnerable to the changing economy.