07 Apr 2026
What does it take to succeed in St Albans’ crowded hair and beauty marketplace?
New analysis of data from the Office of National Statistics and Nomis – the official Census and labour market statistics database – reveals that St Albans has recorded the fastest growth in registered hair and beauty businesses of any UK city since 2018.
Business count grew from 85 in 2018 to 140 in 2025 – a rise of +64.7 per cent, the highest growth of any city analysed, outpacing Manchester, (+57.7 per cent), London (+46.2 per cent), and the wider UK average.
The research was carried out by Nikos Varelas of Barber Insights, a website which offers advice to barber shops about how to grow their businesses.
He said: “Given ongoing conversations around independent businesses, town centre footfall, and changing consumer habits, the growth of barbershops and salons appears to be playing an increasingly important role in local high streets.
“We’re increasingly seeing high streets shift towards service-based businesses that can’t be replaced online, and St Albans appears to be benefiting from that transition.”
But beyond the statistics, what does this growth mean to already established businesses within the marketplace? We spoke to a mix of hair salons, barbers and beauticians to determine whether they have perceived any change locally, and how they are reacting.
Aisha Khayat, founder of the independent Bouyage in The Maltings Shopping Centre, said the growth within their industry was at first gradual and then suddenly very visible.
“When we first opened Bouyage in 2017 in St Albans city centre, the landscape looked very different. We were one of the first salons to position ourselves as a luxury, natural, toxic-free nail space with hair and beauty all under one roof. Over the past few years, especially post-2020, the growth has accelerated and the market feels significantly more saturated.”
She said this was both a positive and worrying trend: “ It’s positive in the sense that it shows demand for self-care, wellness and personal grooming is stronger than ever, and it’s great to see the high street evolving into a service-led space.
“However, with rapid growth comes challenges – particularly around maintaining standards, consistency, and client trust. In an industry that’s historically been associated with harsh chemicals and inconsistent regulation, it’s more important than ever that businesses prioritise quality, safety and client experience over quick wins.”
So how does Bouyage stand out in this crowded marketplace?
“For us, it’s always been about being intentional and ahead of the curve rather than following trends. From day one, Bouyage was built on the foundation of offering a cleaner, more conscious approach to beauty – especially within the nail space, which hasn’t always had the best reputation when it comes to toxicity and ventilation.
“We’ve positioned ourselves as a pioneer in the natural nail space – combining luxury with a non-toxic ethos – while also offering a full-service experience across hair, beauty and aesthetics. Our focus is on long-term client relationships, high standards, and creating an environment that feels elevated, safe and considered.
“Ultimately, it’s not just about what we offer, but how we make clients feel — and that’s what keeps people coming back.”
Sam Campagna, owner of Barbone in George Street, said the growth in the sector has not come out of nowhere, and there were positives and negatives to be found in this trend.
“Over the past couple of years in particular, it’s become more and more apparent, and something I’ve grown accustomed to seeing as part of the industry’s evolution.
“On one hand, it’s incredibly positive to see more people taking the leap into business and backing themselves to create something of their own. That entrepreneurial spirit is what keeps the industry fresh and exciting.
“On the other hand, with that level of growth, we’re naturally entering a phase where not all of those businesses will sustain, so we’ll likely start to see closures as the market corrects itself.”
He has a clear vision of what is needed to succeed: “Standing out in a crowded marketplace comes down to clarity. You need to be clear on what you offer, who it’s for, and why you’ve chosen your location.
“For me, it’s always come back to people and service. Having the right team and genuinely caring about the client experience sounds simple, but consistently delivering that at a high level is what sets you apart.”
Sally-Anne Shepherd, who founded Eve and Adam Beauty Clinic in Catherine Street 23 years ago, said she thought any increase was probably mainly barbers as she hadn’t noticed many new beauty salons springing up locally.
“There probably has been an increase in ‘aesthetic clinics/practitioners’ who administer facial injectables as there was a large surge of these opening post-lockdown due to everyone staring at themselves on screens and scrutinising themselves!”
She said the whole beauty industry has changed since the pandemic: “My industry body states that across the country there’s an increase in high street salon closures due to the ever-increasing costs to run a high street business.
“Add to that the Government’s increase in minimum wage, hike in NICs, the unfair VAT system we have for the service industry supplier costs and there is less and less incentive to have a salon.
“I suppose we are lucky in the St Albans area to have a high-income demographic which enables customers to benefit from our services and keep coming back, as they could be considered luxury services, but margins are always being squeezed”
She said their strong reputation for great service, reputable products and treatments enables them to continue despite these pressures: “Our Google and social media reviews absolutely help to promote us, as do word of mouth recommendations.
“Our clients range from age seven to centenarian so that gives as a wide customer profile and our team’s ages range from 17-60! We invest in regular training and upskilling making the team knowledgeable and confident so they are happy and approachable.”
Marc Trinder, director of Trinder Hair Studios in George Street, said for the 10 years they have been in business in St Albans they have seen many salons and barbers continue to trade and do well.
“I believe we have experienced growth locally since more people are working from home since 2020 and are able to attend midweek appointments easier than before.
“I feel we have a highly skilled mix of hair businesses and clients who no longer need to travel into London to receive a great service.
“I feel very lucky that our trade is doing well, I feel it’s a positive trend to see our sector remain strong especially with the Budget changes we have experienced in the last few years. I feel when times get tough during economic changes, clients still want to experience the feelgood factor so continue to spend on themselves. You wear your hair everyday without taking it off, so it’s the most important accessory you can invest in.”
He added that Trinder continually invest in improving both their environment and skill set to keep customers returning: “We constantly train and educate our team to remain at the forefront of what we do. Paying attention to the small details to ensure we continuity provide value and a great guest experience.”
Nadya Giffen, owner of Nadya Giffen Therapies at The Quadrant in Marshalswick, said she thought there has been a definite increase in the number of hair and beauty businesses in St Albans, in particular, aesthetics.
“In a similar way to coffee shops, there are more barber shops and more beauty salons. It is positive in one sense, in as much as there are less empty shops, but the worrying trend is that the market becomes far too diluted.
“However, with the decline of retail outlets in our city, without these businesses I am not sure what our high street or footfall would look like. One important point I would like to make is, hair and beauty is an industry that can’t be damaged by online or AI as these are hands-on treatments.”
She said she hopes her business stands out because it is exclusively a complementary therapy centre and only offers holistic therapies, whereas many other hair and beauty businesses offer aesthetics, which is something we will never offer.
“All the products in our shop are UK independent brands: natural, sustainable, vegan, cruelty-free, paraben and SLS [Sodium Lauryl Sulfate] free.
“Another aspect that differentiates us from other hair and beauty businesses is the active role we play in our community.
“We love to give back to the community that supports us, whether it is charity collections, fundraising, donations to local schools, workshops to support newly qualified therapists and more recently, our new community project – The Calm Birth Project – which was our first holistic antenatal course.
“Personally, I have over 23 years’ experience in the wellness industry. Wellness is a term that is banded around a lot nowadays, but I can recall a time when it wasn’t and therapies such as massage were seen as a luxury, whereas nowadays, they are viewed a part of a healthy lifestyle and it is wonderful to see to many people embrace healthy living.”
Sharon Cox, from Sanrizz salon in The Maltings, said she thought the growth in the industry has been surprisingly strong especially in the past few years, with a natural progression since the Covid lockdown.
“This growth has given professionals more freedom to make choices and create a more meaningful work-life balance, particularly with the rise of freelance work.
“Social media in particular has had a huge influence on pushing new treatments and techniques. Hair and beauty has always been known as a hard industry, but here at Sanrizz we welcome the growth as it brings fresh ideas, inspires creativity, and supports the future of the hair and beauty industry.
“The growth is not something that worries us, as it keeps the industry thriving and provides more opportunities for businesses like ours to develop while continuing to support our wonderful clients. It’s a particularly exciting time for us as global educators. With so much information available online today, clients can often feel overwhelmed, which highlights the value we bring to our clients and the role we play as educators in the industry.”
She added that it’s their excellence in hairdressing and education which she thinks makes Sanrizz stand out from the crowd.
“Our passion is our brand image, with each salon resembling art galleries, with a focus on clean lines, clear spaces and design. Most importantly, we prioritise delivering expert services ensuring every client experiences exceptional care as soon as they are welcomed at reception through to their colour and cut. We’re also thrilled to be connected with Alfaparf Milano, our exclusive collaborators, giving our clients access to their premium range of hair products.”
Paul Lesnik of 305 Barber Co on Holywell Hill said the increased number of barber shops was a concern: “I’ve been noticing it for some time now, between when I first opened my business in 2014 only one or two new barber shops opened up to the 2020 lockdown. Since then I’d think there have been at least six new barber shops in the city centre alone.
“It’s a worrying trend that so many of the same kinds of shop are around as for one it kills the dynamic of the city centre and gives less of an offering to visitors. My biggest issue is of course as we’ve seen in the news in my sector the worry of money-laundering barber shops springing up nationwide. The more that open the higher chance there is of this happening under our nose which could then give a bad name to the sector moving forward.” He said he hopes 305 stands out from other barbers in the marketplace: “I hope by having an attractive looking shop with strong branding helps. I’ve created my own product line which shows knowledge and dedication, we work with an appointment-based system to help automate our business to make it easier for our clients and we also take every kind of payment which hopefully shows we are doing things correctly.
“We want to offer something that is authentic and honest with a high level of quality which should show through our levels of expertise.”
All of the businesses we spoke to highlighted the importance of competitions like the St Albans Retailer of the Year in terms of both promotion and celebration.
Aisha said: “Local businesses are the backbone of the high street, especially in cities like St Albans. Awards like this not only recognise hard work and resilience, but they also help build trust within the community and encourage higher standards across the board.
“Running a business – particularly in a competitive and ever-evolving industry – requires constant adaptation, investment and passion. Celebrating those achievements not only supports individual businesses, but also strengthens the local economy and inspires others to raise the bar.”
Sally-Anne said: “Awards help to raise awareness of local businesses to the wider community. We all need cheerleaders as without them, these uniquely independent businesses will cease to trade especially on the high street.”
Marc said awards are a great way to acknowledge local business and reflect on their achievements: “Entering awards highlights your belief in what you do and promotes positivity.”
Sharon said: “Recognising awards matters more than people think. It recognises the passion and talent of businesses that work hard to make a difference, particularly in an evolving industry. It is something we truly value at Sanrizz and recognising the passion and commitment of our team is something we take pride in.
Retailer of the Year is something we’ve supported for many years, and we were thrilled to win the award in 2018. This year, we are fully behind it once again, already encouraging our clients to vote through our social media.”
Sam, whose business won the Hair and Beauty category in the previous awards, said: “Recognition like this acts as a real driver. It doesn’t just elevate the business, it energises the team, the owners, and even the clients.
“It highlights the level of effort, consistency, and results that go into running a successful business on the high street, something that matters now more than ever. It gives people a reason to take pride in what they’ve built and pushes the standard higher across the board.”
Nadya said: “As businesses, we are navigating our way through very challenging times. Awards like ROTY give small businesses a boost, remind people why it is important to support local independent shops and create a buzz in our high street.
“They also provide a sense of fun and excitement, and bring people and businesses together, for which I am super grateful.”
Paul added: “I think it’s an opportunity for local people to push forward businesses they love and in turn gives those businesses a chance to showcase themselves.
“I hope that by showing off nominations within your business be it on your shop window or via social media, websites and client newsletters that customers then see it as a positive thing and that the business they support is of the highest quality.”
