Hair and beauty salon group Saks kickstarted its 50th birthday with a four-day celebration for salon owners at the 5-star Gran Hotel Miramar in Malaga which also tied in with their ‘Saks 50’ campaign launching across digital channels on 1 October 2024.
CELEBRATIONS OVERSEAS, IN SALONS AND A BIG BASH CLOSING PARTY
In partnership with L’Oréal Professionnel, the action-packed conference agenda included a four-hour trek along the Caminito Del Ray, a legendary walkway pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge, to raise funds for its national charity partner The Eve Appeal. Also a dolphin-spotting catamaran trip along the Andalusian coast and a 70s-themed Gala Dinner… it had to be done!
Anna Clinton, salon owner at Saks Sedbury Hall, says “Saks 50 in Malaga? Amazing! Great to spend proper time out with the Saks family – some of whom I’ve known since starting my Saks journey 30 years ago. Two best bits – the trek and the 70s party – we love a party and it’s even better when we have a theme! Massive thanks to Saks HQ and L’Oréal Pro for looking after us so well.”
Extended birthdays are de rigueur these days and Saks is here for that. Marking the occasion continues apace with January 2025 seeing the launch of in-salon events, rewards for customers and a big social media competition. The celebrations will conclude with a bash for salon teams at a Special Edition Saks Gathering & Awards in London, June 2025.
SINCE 1974 CAMPAIGN
The ‘Since 1974’ heritage campaign thanks customers past and present and all the Saks faces who have contributed along the way. This runs alongside the current ‘Good for You’ brand campaign which deep dives into wellbeing and how a hair or beauty salon visit is good for customers, helping them ultimately feel fabulous after being in.
SAKS4EVE FUNDRAISING
Having pledged to raise £250k to aid The Eve Appeal’s world class research into all five gynaecological cancers, they’ve raised £230k with eyes on achieving the target in their 50th year.
WHOLE LOTTA HISTORY
SAKS HAIR… From one salon in Darlington in the northeast of England, offering new, relaxed ‘cuts and blow dries’ for the ‘70s era, the Saks-buzz spread, and further SAKS HAIR salons quickly opened, culminating in Saks Franchising launching in 1981, taking the brand across the UK
SAKS BEAUTY… launched in 1996 in response to demand from customers and Saks was the first to bring Botox and injectables to the high street. Anti-ageing facials, advanced treatments such as IPL hair removal and contouring followed. Today Saks Beauty falls into three categories for owners; Saks Beauty (face, body and glam menus), Beauty Compact (glam-to-go services) and Beauty Clinical (non-surgical tweakments).
MD, Stephen Kee, has been with Saks since the beginning and still leads the management team today. A wholly owned leadership setup since day one, of the original two founders, Malcolm Hanson sadly passed away in 2013 and Dennis Cheesebrough still co-owns with Stephen.
Stephen says “It’s fantastic to see everyone celebrating our big birthday with us. We’ve received so many heartfelt wishes and shared countless funny memories – it means a lot.
“There’s no doubt that being part of the Saks community is special. We know this because our salon owners tell us, and we’ve seen a significant increase in interest from independent salon owners wanting to join us. Attracted not only by the business support on offer but that sense of belonging too. This strong community has helped us navigate a constantly evolving industry, face challenging times head-on and will guide us through the next 50 years. A big Saks salute to our salon owners and their teams!”
STELLAR STYLING FROM LUKE PLUCKROSE
Saks’ creative director Luke Pluckrose has gone from strength to strength with the brand, since joining in 2010 leading hair training for the network of salons and taking countless stylists backstage who are interested in exploring creativity. Today Luke also has the freedom to rock styling in his own right as a sought-after session stylist, working with Alexa Chung, Ashley Graham, Charlotte Tilbury, Nicola Coughlan, Nicole Scherzinger and Paris Jackson in the last few months alone.
FUTURE FACING
Whilst the heritage campaign has a ‘back in the day’ vibe, the business model for incoming salon owners is firmly future facing. Being digitally savvy is key and Saks provides online touchpoints for each stage of the customer journey. The saks.co.uk website is optimised to ensure the brand is easily found on Google and includes comprehensive standalone ‘microsites’ for each salon, where dedicated information can be found.
Saks HQ helps salons with their social media holding regular workshops sharing in the minute info on best practice and syndicates brand campaigns, seasonal and ‘we’re hiring’ messages to individual salon pages for owners to adapt. This being around their own local content about hair, beauty and salon-life.
The brand invests in its free ‘Love Saks’ app for bookings and rewards, partners with Salon IQ for management, bookings and automated marketing, and maximises the SalonSpy platform for customer reviews.
Behind the scenes, is an easy-to-use-even-on-a-mobile intranet ‘Saks People’ where owners can download assets from the local marketing toolkit, and utilise online hair, beauty and social media training and the Saks People content library on every salon business and HR-related topic. This being along with all the hands-on help from Saks HQ on business development, finance, marketing, operations and training.
INDUSTRY CENTRIC
Recognising the challenges salons are facing today, Saks runs an ongoing ‘Convert to Saks’ proposition for independent salon owners wanting help with running their businesses, or those thinking about an exit plan. With a call to kickstart a no-obligation conversation about the challenges of running a salon, 100s of curious owners have responded in 2024, with some now in advanced discussions on how Saks could help with their businesses.
Natalie Jenkins, owner of Saks Leeds City says “The great thing about Saks is that they can recognise what each franchisee needs in terms of support and adapt the process for each individual.
“The major factor that led me to the franchise option, was the support you get. It’s still your business at the end of the day, but Saks HQ is there to make recommendations and there is added security knowing you always have access to help and advice.”
Janet King, Head of Marketing, concludes “We’re proud that so many of our people and customers have stayed with us and excited to see the next generation coming through. We appreciate each one of you, our hard-working Saks HQ team, and everyone who’s contributed along the way. You all know who you are – thanks to you and you and you!”