A FAMILY-RUN Newcastle salon has scooped £10,000 worth of hairdressing education and hair trade marketing support after beating off challengers from around the UK to win a prestigious competition.
At Sisters, based in Pink Lane, won the Golden Ticket prize from L’Oréal Professionnel as part of the brand’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
The business was successful after submitting a creative 50-word description of how they would benefit from the prize.
The At Sisters team synched their story with the lyrics of the 1970s Sister Sledge disco hit We Are Family, and filled their envelope with golden stars and glitter, plus a picture of their family.
At Sisters is made up of Margaret Emmonds, who started out in the indsutry 47 years ago, and her two daughters Joanne Emmonds and Claire Hildreth. The three combined their talents to go into partnership in one salon in 2007.
Claire said: “Winning the prize has given us so many more opportunities to grow and develop our team, in turn maintaining and improving the service we provide to our clients.”
Meanwhile, Claire is now one of L’Oreal’s elite team of hair colourists, and holder of the Colour Specialist degree after a five-week course at the firm’s Manchester academy.
The qualification is the industry’s most comprehensive in hair colouring.
Her success is another accolade for a business that has grown its customer base fivefold in as many years. She says that At Sisters has not been adversely affected by the tough economic climate.
She said: “The premium end might have suffered, but we’ve had to keep our prices down – probably lower than they should be – to keep our customers.
“We’d actually like to expand – to knock through the back wall so that we can double the area of the salon.”
Alongside top-end hair styling, the team of 13 also provide pedicures, spray tans, laser hair removal and non-surgical skin treatments.
Men already take full advantage of all the services on offer but the At Sisters team is now considering the growth potential of bespoke male grooming.
