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A Cut Above the Rest

At Gavin Alexander's state-of-the-art salon you can enjoy a glass of cabernet sauvignon after your cut and blow dry. Karen Healey discovers how a family business reinvented itself in uber-cool Cardiff Bay.

 

After several years running a highly successful hair and beauty salon in Cardiff's Queen's Arcade, in 2004 hairdresser Gavin Alexander decided he was ready for the next big thing. Footfall through the shopping centre was declining and the business had reached a plateau.

A new generation of customers were starting to expect a more sophisticated environment, more flexible opening hours and greater convenience than the shopping centre could offer. Gavin realised that the future of the business lay outside the city centre. He also knew that his business had to evolve in order to attract the right calibre of customer.

NEW DIRECTIONS

Gavin knew that he would be able to bring 60 per cent of his clientele with him, but to attract new customers he would have to offer something really special. So he came up with the idea of a hair and beauty salon that also included a wine bar.

Gavin ran the idea past his parents, Sandra and Colin Rich. They had recently retired after 40 years in the hair and beauty business and returned to their roots in Cardiff. They helped with the Queens' Arcade business. "Gavin had this vision of a place where clients could have their hair done, pamper themselves a bit and then meet their friends in the bar afterwards," explains Sandra. She and Colin, eager for a new challenge, were happy to take on the running of the bar, leaving Gavin to take care of the salon.

LOCATION, LOCATON LOCATION

Finding the right premises was crucial to the success of the new venture. Gavin was already living in the Cardiff Bay area and Sandra and Colin had recently bought an investment property there. The newly-developed waterfront area was becoming increasingly trendy, attracting new bars and restaurants and an affluent, young professional clientele. It was the ideal place for Gavin and his parents to launch a high-concept business.

The family settled on a waterfront premises that were under construction, close to the ultra-cool St David's Hotel and with views of the Millennium Centre and the marina. Although they found the ideal property quite quickly, it took them nearly a year to negotiate the purchase.

LOCAL SUPPORT

"When Janice King, our Barclays Local Business Manager, got involved, we never looked back," says Sandra. The family had been let down by their previous bank, and Janice was recommended by a friend and local entrepreneur. "Janice really knew the area and wasn't fazed when she came down and saw it as a building site. She thought it was a strong concept and recognised its potential. "Janice was able to organise loans for the purchase of the freehold and for the contractual work, fitting out the salon and bar to very high specifications. "I really appreciated the way we were made to feel like people, not numbers," says Sandra.

MARKETING THE BUSINESS

As Gavin was relocating rather than relaunching his business, he had the advantage of being able to ask his existing clientele what they wanted by sending them a questionnaire. But to attract more customers he had to come up with a new marketing strategy.

"Gavin attended a Barclays Bright Marketing seminar which proved very helpful," says Sandra. "We've use lots of different ways to promote the salon and bar. We advertise in free magazines in the Cardiff area and on local radio. We've done leaflet drops and we regularly run promotions - for example, we'll offer existing clients a 20 per cent discount. And we have promotional evenings where we organise beauty demonstrations and ask clients to bring a friend." But most effective of all, says Sandra is simple word of mouth recommendation.

ALL CHANGE

One thing that neither Gavin nor his parents could have predicted was how enthusiastically men have embraced the salon/bar concept. Sandra says that they expected customers to migrate from the salon to the bar, but not vice versa. But they were amazed how many 45- to 50-year-old men came into the wine bar and moved through to the salon. Even more surprising is the number of men in the same age group who've started buying high-end hair products to maintain their styles between salon visits, or who book themselves in for facials or a massage. "They obviously feel completely relaxed and unselfconscious in the environment we've created," explains Sandra.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The family have also started marketing the bar as a venue for corporate events and private functions. "In the summer the bar's always really busy." says Sandra, "but in the winter we have to work a little harder to drive footfall. We're doing quite a lot of business now with breakfast meetings and business lunches, as well as weddings and birthday parties. We're always on the lookout for new business opportunities."

Contact details

Gavin Alexander Salon & Bar, Unit 3, Sovereign Quay, Cardiff CF10 5SE. 029 2047 3333

 

About robert Craven

Robert Craven is a keynote speaker and author of the business best-sellers 'Kick-Start Your Business' and 'Customer Is King'. He has recently been described as 'one of the UK’s leading marketing specialists' and the 'entrepreneurship guru'. He runs The Directors’ Centre, helping growing businesses to grow.
For further information, contact Robert Craven on 01225 851044. (rc@directorscentre.com) www.directorscentre.com

Talk Business Magazine©2006

publication details

Barclays - Talk Business spring/summer 2006.