A CHESTER hair salon which was ruined by a freak flood last year will reopen next month following a £90,000 refurbishment.
Stylists from Francesco Group Chester are looking forward to the official opening of their new salon on October 6 which marks the end of a challenging period for the award winning team.
It also coincides with the launch of a new and interactive client hair style system, known to Francesco Group as a visual consultation, which is a first in Chester.
In October last year, their Bridge Street salon had to be shut down immediately when sewage from another building flooded the basement area.
Undeterred, the team found a temporary home in an empty hair salon round the corner in Watergate Street where they continued to trade successfully while extensive repair work was carried out to restore the former salon to its full glory.
The result is a ‘contemporary boutique’ style, up-to-date Francesco Group Chester hair salon for the dedicated team of 10 which includes three master colour experts and a hair extension specialist who formerly worked in a top London salon.
Salon Director Matt Haylor, who took over the franchise in March with his wife Sam, after building up another successful Francesco Group franchise in Staffordshire, said: “We are gearing up to a very special moment for us all. It feels like a lot of things have been on hold until we were able to get back to our Bridge Street salon and now that time is almost here.
“It means we can all put the difficulties caused by the flood behind us and move into a brand new salon designed with our clients’ needs in mind.
“It means we can start to work in earnest towards becoming the best salon in the area and providing an unrivalled service for our clients.
“We have been striving to do this anyway but I know we all feel we can take it to the next level once we get the keys to our brand new salon.
“We have all been a bit unsettled but now we are all looking towards the future and it’s exciting.”
On Thursday October 6, clients and staff will be treated to a special evening to celebrate the grand opening. There will be a catwalk show with models showing off the latest hair styles created by the Francesco Group Chester team and a one-off singing performance from talented team member Faith Reade.
Mezzo Soprano and apprentice hairdresser Faith, 20, will be hitting the high notes when she performs a range of opera classics.
She is tipped to become a top stylist by her bosses but in her spare time she has performed in Chester Cathedral choirs since the age of 10 and even performed alongside Welsh singer and Classic FM presenter Aled Jones of ‘Walking in the Air’ fame.
The salon building in Bridge Street is owned by Chester Council which has worked closely with Francesco Group Chester to repair the damage caused by the flood. Around £50,000 has been spent to sure up the basement and put in a system to prevent anything like it happening again.
A further £40,000 has been spent by Matt and Francesco Group Chester to create a new, bespoke salon with a second phase of refurbishment planned for next year to include a colour lounge and blow dry bar in the basement.
In the meantime, clients will be able to take full advantage of a range of services in the top part of the building.
This will include Chester’s first interactive visual consultation system where every client hair cut will be logged and recorded.
Matt, who is a dad-of-one and has worked for Francesco Group for his entire 18-year career, said: “The aim is that we have a visual log recorded on our system, and shown to clients via a tablet, of every hair style or cut we have done for them. It means we can discuss with them in detail what they liked and equally what they weren’t so keen on when we have styled their hair.
“It is all part of the unique customer service we are able to offer which strives to give our clients the best possible customer experience and ultimately have them leaving the salon feeling fantastic.
“Francesco group has a long tradition of connecting with clients in this way. The group’s founder Frank Dellicompagni used to take photos and record them in a file to help clients visualise their perfect hair style and so the group has taken his unique approach as inspiration and brought it into the 21st century.”
For more information about Francesco Group Chester go to www.francescogroup.co.uk/salons/chester.php