Newton Aycliffe hair stylists specialising in extensions have been awarded VIP status by a national stockist which caters for stars including Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nicole Scherzinger.
Lox of Love, based on Aycliffe Business Park, is the first salon in the North – and the eighth globally out of 2,000 outlets – to be given the VIP rating by Cheshire-based Beauty Works.
It will mean Lox of Love will now benefit from special offers which they will be able to pass on their growing list of clients, who come from across the North-East region for their extensions.
Beauty Works, based in Cheadle near Manchester, was set up six years ago and supplies extensions to Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Nicole Scherzinger, Dannii Minogue and Katie Price, as well as for hit TV shows including the X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Love Island and The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE).
“This is a very prestigious reward scheme we’re only offering our best performing clients,” said Barbie Dines, Beauty Works’ sales manager North.
“We only have eight VIPs at the moment, out of 2,000 globally, which is testament to how well Victoria and her team here at Lox of Love are doing, who’s pictured (above, left) with Lox of Love managing director Victoria Cartwright, stylist Emma Stevens and beautician Toni McLeod.
“Lox of Love are great because they, like Beauty Works, offer literally everything. It’s like a one-stop shop for hair extensions.
“Hair extension clients are sophisticated these days, they know what they like, but at Lox of Love they have created a big demand here which is why we’ve made them the first VIP outlet in the North, excluding Scotland.”
Victoria, a fully-qualified hair dresser, compiled a business plan for Lox of Love whilst she studied for a business degree at Teesside University.
She then launched the company in December 2012, originally as a mobile service which eventually amassed around 500 clients, before opening her own premises at Evans Business Centre in May 2014.
The mum-of-three has since added hair stylist Emma Stevens and beautician Toni McLeod to her team, as well as a part-time Saturday girl, while her client list has grown to over 2,000, with customers coming from as far North as Stanley and as far South as York.
Victoria has long-term plans to take on more staff in 2016, including a new secretarial and social media apprentice.
The 36-year-old added: “We started using Beauty Works not long after we opened the salon, because we’re always looking for the newest and best products on the market and Beauty Works are the current market leaders when it comes to hair extensions.
“The range of products we’re stocking from them has grown gradually over the last 18 months.
“Now we want to grow the business over the next 12-18 months, take on more hands-on staff and recruit a new apprentice for the reception and our social media channels.
“The success of the salon so far has been down to word-of-mouth and repeat business, which is unusual in this area, because you tend to find people et hair extensions and have a horror story afterwards, which puts them off for a few years.
“But a good two-thirds of our 2,000-plus clients are regulars because we really do focus on quality, and we’re highly recognised for that, which is something we are proud of.”
• To book or make an enquiry with Lox of Love, call them on 01325 327362, or for more details go to www.loxoflove.co.uk