Just about half of all tanning facility owners say that their 2009 tanning business performance met or exceeded expectations, while about half feel their results fell short of expectations, a SmartTan.com poll conducted in late December revealed.

That’s about an even split and is in line with polls throughout the year asking the same question. In September, 54 percent said their business performance met or exceeded expectations for the first two-thirds of the year — slightly higher than the year-end poll.

Still, tanning businesses are seeing a bright side, as 4 in 5 said in a November poll that they expect 2010 performance to improve as the economy stabilizes. A year ago, uncertainty reigned as the entire economy teetered on the brink of collapse with a virtual lock-down on all lending capital and business credit.

“The sense we are getting from the membership right now is that the tanning market has some very real challenges for 2010, but that there are more well-organized businesses in place to meet those challenges than at any time in our market’s history,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “Smart Tan is doing our part to help businesses meet those challenges.”