Did you hear that Manchester is now home to the UK’s first ever flexible workspace for the hair and beauty industry?
And it’s now the only place in the country to sell a renowned US hair colour range.
If you’ve made your way down the city centre’s main thoroughfare at all over the past couple of months, then you may have noticed that Number One Deansgate has welcomed Phenix Salon Suites as its newest addition, after the legendary US brand has chosen Manchester as the destination for its first-of-its-kind UK hub – and it’s already proving pretty popular.
Given that it’s already a huge hit across the pond, with over 300 locations and partners to its name in the US, then it’s probably no shock that the venture is taking off here in our city, but what is it actually about?
What’s the story behind the business that’s changing the hair and beauty game?
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Bringing the concept of flexible workspaces over to the world of hair and beauty, Phenix Salon Suites – which was originally launched in Colorado Springs in 2007 by founder and entrepreneur, Gina Rivera, and was created to offer an alternative to renting a chair – gives industry professionals the chance to run their own businesses by leasing an intimate salon inside a fully-kitted-out facility.
Phenix is the first concept to offer the opportunity to become truly self-employed, and to own and operate a business without the hassle and expense of facility management and maintenance.
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Each luxury studio comes complete with high-quality equipment so that tenants can concentrate on running the business without worrying about the costs or set-up of utilities, and Phenix also offers business mentoring to help grow client bases, network, skills, and income, all in a professional setting.
Phenix Salon Suites was created to offer an alternative to renting a chair for hair and beauty professionals / Credit: The Manc Group
Having officially opened doors in our city back in October 2021, over 70% of the 29 studios in the Manchester hub have now been leased. There’s a host of double suites still available for any hair or beauty professionals looking to launch a joint salon business or to work side by side.
Tenants include hair stylists, massage therapists, nail techs, skincare professionals and makeup artists, with some of the businesses having set up shop down the spa-like corridor including celebrity hairdresser Andrew Trott-Barn, legendary Manchester stylist Mitch Woodiwiss, Joseph Snee at Joseph Patrick Hair, Ashley Longmore at Moloko Hair, Kayleigh Johnson at Kayleigh The Hair Witch, Daniel Davies at Arkham Hair Design and many more.
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Each unit has been completely personalised and decorated by its new tenants.
The new Manchester venue is now home to some unique spaces like a witch-themed salon, and a luxury hairdressers inspired by a mirror ball.
Each unit in the Manchester venture has been completely personalised and decorated by its new tenants / Credit: Phenix Salon Suites
Lucy is one of the tenants at Phenix with her business Daytime Studio.
She said: “I started doing nails at home. As I started to grow, I knew I wanted to set up my own nail salon but the thought of renting a chair or a huge space was daunting. The fact that Phenix Salon Suites was a nice little space that I can personalise to my taste was perfect!”
Luke, of Purple Rinse, commented: “What appealed to me about Phenix Salon Suites was the chance to be independent, not having to manage anybody else, and to be as flexible as I want. It’s a private 1-1 space, but you’re not alone as you still have other like-minded people around you.”
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“We know how hard it is to set up a salon from scratch,” said John Gillespie, operations director of the UK & Europe at Phenix Salon Suites.
“Even more so when it comes to finding something affordable in the middle of an incredible city like Manchester, so we wanted to make it accessible and achievable for anyone to create their own business, and [that’s why] we’ve launched the very first Phenix Salon Suites here in Number One Deansgate – maybe one of the best addresses in the city.
“We chose Manchester as our first location here in the UK as it’s already a leader in the hair and beauty industry and there are so many creatives and entrepreneurs.”
“We knew immediately it was the right home for us,” he added.
Over 60% of the 29 studios in the Manchester hub have now been leased / Credit: The Manc Group
Leases at Phenix Salon Suites in Manchester operate month-to-month, with no long term contracts to enable tenants to work with flexibility.
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Hairdressers and barbers will be provided with a backwash, styling chair and hair trolley, while nail artists or beauty therapists will be offered sink units and storage trolleys, and each tenant will also have access to a break room / kitchen space, as well as an on-site laundry room with free use of commercial equipment for fast washing and drying.
And the new tenants only have good things to say.
“There’s no competition at Phenix Salon Suites,” explains Hayley Crankshaw from Cheeky Bleach Hair Boutique.
“We aren’t competing with the other stylists. We all want collaboration. We are like neighbours more than rivals as Phenix Salon Suites is giving working class people the opportunity to have their own business, without the significant debt, which was what really appealed to me, but I also liked the idea of being able to decorate my own suite to fit my own brand.
“There are also no time limits, so I can choose how many clients I see in a day.
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“People are looking for flexibility these days and that’s what’s so great about creating your own small business with Phenix Salon Suites.”
has now become the first place in the UK to sell a new hair colour range / Credit: The Manc Group
If Phenix wasn’t already off to an incredible start as it is, as mentioned, the concept has now become the first place in the UK to sell a new hair colour range, Colours By Gina – which has already seen huge success in the US.
The Colours by Gina range is a specially-curated line of hair colour, which is designed exclusively for hair professionals and entrepreneurs, and is a carefully-chosen collection of calibrated shades that allow for beautiful results.
The PPD-free, c cream-based colours are a unique blend of specialised dye pigments, gentle alkaliser, and protective oxidisers.
Phenix Salon Suites even hosted a special free event to mark the launch of the colour range earlier this month, which included live demonstrations of the Colours By Gina 60 shade palette on real hair models, and saw all attendees walk away with a goody bag worth £50 that’s filled with haircare gifts.
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By swapping competing to collaborating, Phenix Salon Suites has created a community for hair and beauty professionals where they can create and express their love for the industry.
Three Little Words and Seven Brothers Brewery are moving into Kampus this summer
Georgina Pellant
This week, Manchester’s waterside neighbourhood Kampus has revealed that two of Manchester’s best-loved indie drinks producers will be moving in over the summer.
Manchester Gin’s bar and distillery Three Little Words will be taking over the infamous bungalow, whilst Ancoats’ favourite Seven Brothers Brewery will temporarily move into the neighbourhood’s red-brick Minshull Warehouse – previously tipped to house a new taproom from Cloudwater.
This summer, the brewery – first founded in Salford nine years ago by the McAvoy brothers – will open the doors to the warehouse serving up their popular family beers alongside a few Kampus specials.
With seating inside and out, once the warmer nights arrive drinkers can once again enjoy the Manchester neighbourhood’s canalside beer garden.
Image: Three Little Words
Image: Seven Brothers
Set to open officially from the long Easter weekend, for the first time tables and chairs will be nestled throughout the giant tree ferns and palms, with visitors able to sample the delights of the impressive foodie community – including Nell’s, Pollen, Great North Pie, The Beeswing wine bar and Yum Cha.
Elsewhere, in the Bungalow popular local gin distillers and cocktail pros Three Little Words will serve up a sleek cocktail menu – all made up from their portfolio of multi-award-winning spirits from The Spirit of Manchester Distillery.
First opened in 2019 by Seb & Jen Heeley-Wiggins, the founders of Manchester Gin, luxurious cocktail bar Three Little Words has since won awards for its signature menu of innovative cocktails.
Both will kick-start on Friday 7 April, with an Easter Weekender of booze, beats and eats in store – with Nell’s Pizza also joined by guest DJs throughout the weekend.
The season is a major moment for Kampus, the first year when the neighbourhood will have a full force of eclectic independent operators fully trading.
More names are set to join too. Red Light will lift the curtain on the insta-friendly Little David Street LGTBQ+ cocktail den, with the opening date to be revealed in the coming weeks, whilst taqueria and mezcaleria Madre is currently fitting out its space ready to bring its take on Mexican goodness to Manchester.
Seb Heeley-Wiggins, Master Distiller & Co-Owner The Spirit of Manchester Distillery & Three Little Words, said: “We’ve got such a loyal following and we’ve been on the hunt for a spot where people could enjoy our cocktails in a beautiful outdoor setting … spritzes in the sunshine.
“Kampus absolutely fits that bill and will be an incredible summer posting for our team. We’ll be bringing our signature menu as well as some seasonal creations unique to Kampus.
“There’s so much going at the neighbourhood that we’ll be in good company. We’ve already got celebrations planned throughout the summer months, where we’ll be collaborating with incredible brands and creatives, and we’ve got a big surprise in store for next month. We just need a long, hot summer now.”
Keith McAvoy, CEO for Seven Brothers, said: “We’ve been big fans of Kampus for a while so we jumped at the chance to put on a summer-long party and create a new beerhouse here. The historic setting is stunning and we know we’ll create, hands down, the best beer garden in Manchester.
“We’re a family run business, born here in Greater Manchester. Our Kampus run is a fitting celebration for how far the brewery has come with the incredible support of every person who’s ever enjoyed a SEVEN BRO7HERS pint.
“We’ll be in good company with our brilliant independent neighbours and encourage everyone to come spend summer with us.”
Seven Brothers will be open Thursday to Sunday every week all summer, whilst Three Little Words will open Wednesday to Sunday.
Featured image – Kampus
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Huge line-up revealed for Leeds International Festival of Ideas
Sophie Smith
The 2023 line-up for Leeds International Festival of Ideas has been released, and it’s all taking place in a brand new venue.
The huge event will bring together some of the most thought-provoking speakers of our time and is well worth the trip across to our neighbouring city.
Taking over the Leeds Playhouse will be a diverse programme and educational discussions, The Hoot reports.
Giving a glimpse of what we’re in store for this year, LIFI has announced the first of its highly-anticipated speakers.
Best-selling author and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax will be bringing her unique brand of humour to the festival as she takes the audience on her journey to address the importance of mental wellness.
Ruby Wax is “thrilled to be a part of the line-up”. / Image: Supplied
The author, performer and activist is excited about joining the festival: “Leeds International Festival of ideas 2023 looks really exciting and I’m thrilled to be part of the line-up this year. I can’t wait to visit Leeds again and take audiences on my journey to mindfulness.”
Steven Bartlett, perhaps most notably known as the podcaster Diary of a CEO, co-Founder of Social Chain, and also as an investor on Dragon’s Den, amongst other business endeavours, will be taking to the stag to share an insight into ‘how he spots the next big thing’.
Steven Bartlett will be telling Leeds how he ‘spots the next big thing’. / Image: Supplied
Bringing an insight into representation and inclusivity in the media, reality TV star and LGBTQ+ activist Bimini, will also be a key speaker at the International Festival of Ideas.
And this is just the beginning.
The four day festival promises to host a programme of panels and keynotes which focus on topics such as grief, political systems, womxn’s health inequalities and self-sufficiency, among others from Wednesday 27 September – Saturday 30 September 2023.
Bimini is bringing a wealth of knowledge to LIFI23. / Image: Supplied
And what better venue than the Leeds Playhouse?
The award-winning cultural hub was recently recognised at the UK Theatre Awards as the Most Welcoming Theatre in 2022. With a mission to seek out the best companies and artists to create inspirational theatre in the heart of Yorkshire, Leeds Internationals Festival of Ideas, will be joining the long list of exciting productions, festivals and events that Leeds Playhouse have hosted over the past 50 years.
Martin Dickson, Leeds International Festival of Ideas has commented: “We are thrilled with the programme we are bringing to the city for LIFI23, built on the outstanding success of last year, we think it is our strongest speaker line-up yet.
“We’re also hugely excited to be presenting the festival at the incredible Leeds Playhouse, on of the most famous theatre venue in the city, a privilege and an honour.
“LIFI23 will once again address some of the most important social issues affecting us all, taking them on over 4 inspirational days across 11 events and shining an outspoken light on Leeds, projecting the city once again as a bold, innovative thought-leading city.”
The full lineups and tickets will be available from Tuesday 4 April but in the meantime those wanting to grab tickets are encouraged to visit the Leeds International Festival of Ideas website to sign up for announcements and ticket updates.