The professional indoor tanning industry seems to be telling three different stories about financial results for the first half of 2008, according to a SmartTan.com poll. Roughly one-third of stores reported better-than-expected results, one-third reported lower-than-expected results and one third said things were as they expected.

“It is encouraging right now that more than two-thirds of indoor tanning businesses are reporting that business in the first half of the year met or exceeded expectations,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “Again, we think the leaders in the tanning community today are in better fiscal position as a group than they were a few years ago. Costs have been controlled better, which makes these businesses better able to weather challenging economic conditions.”

Also encouraging: most salons report that they are doing a better job marketing lotions – a service that non only adds to the tanning experience but helps the bottom line make sense even when customer counts are stagnant or declining.

“I think all the signs are there that the tanning community will be solid even in a challenging economy and should be formidable when the economy improves,” Levy said.

While one-third of tanning businesses are reporting lower-than expected performance, that figure still compares favorably to most other markets today. “There’s no doubt that many tanning businesses are still adapting to the new business model of tanning today,” Levy said. “Smart Tan has made that kind of business assistance a focal point in the past three years. What’s encouraging is that there are business models out there that are working right now. The answers are out there.”