JULY 1, 2009 — More than half of indoor tanning businesses say they are coming out of the first six months of 2009 in better fiscal shape than they were in the same period in 2008, according to a SmartTan.com poll conducted in late June.

According to the poll, 54 percent say their tanning businesses are in better fiscal condition heading into July than they were last year, while just over one-third, 35 percent, report being in worse fiscal condition. An additional 11 percent reported no difference this year from last year. The poll results are not scientific, but are in line with other Smart Tan polls this year.

“This is pretty extraordinary, especially compared to most other business categories,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “The trend we’ve been tracking this year is that one-third of tanning businesses are up, about one-third are down and the remaining one-third are breaking even. This most recent poll paints about the same picture — perhaps even a bit rosier.”

Smart Tan reported in the cover story of the February 2009 issue of Tanning Trends magazine that many tanning veterans believed that “The Lipstick Effect” — the theory that small beauty purchases like tanning and lipstick actually increase in times of recession — could still hold true in this latest recession. “It appears that is the case,” Levy said. “While there are examples regionally in North America where the economy has hurt indoor tanning considerably, there are also examples of businesses who have ramped up their service and have provided a reasonably priced escape from the economy for their communities.”

Smart Tan believes indoor tanning is positioned for a coming boom in 2010 and beyond. Gearing stores up for that boom is the theme of Smart Tan’s Annual Convention and Trade Show — Smart Tan Downtown — in Downtown Nashville Oct. 9-11. Click here for more information about the event, including complete schedules, exhibitor listings and easy on-line registration, or call Smart Tan at 800-652-3269 or 866-795-3755 in Canada.