Marchella international celebrates 40 years

Birmingham salon Marchella International is celebrating 40 years of business, and in that time have achieved many things worth commemorating. The salon is fronted by Keith and Marchella Broughton – the former a recipient of the British Hairdressing Awards Hairdressing Hall of Fame, and the latter a multi-award winner and celebrity stylist; her clients include Sharon Osbourne, Emma Thompson and Ruby Wax to name but a few. Reflecting on their most memorable experiences, Marchella shares: “As a result of the salon we were invited to the late Queen’s garden party in 2004.” However, she also shares that the salon’s success was not achieved on a whim: “Hard work, ever evolving skills and a very pleasant atmosphere all contribute to the success of a salon.” They both recognise that the salon staff have also played a significant role in its success. “I competed nationally and internationally all over the world in hairdressing competitions – these were very popular in the 70s and 80s, and were very prestigious, however now they sadly exist,” explains Keith. “The best competitors were selected to form the Great Britain team and compete in the world championships – something I was chosen to do. After retiring as a competitor, I became Great Britain’s team manager and trainer for 10 years.” “He won 96 gold, silver and bronze medals whilst competing,” Marchella adds. “That motivation was adopted by our staff who, as well as winning many competitions, assisted Keith in performing successful hair shows for the Fellowship, and the National Hairdressers’ Federation.” To celebrate Keith and Marchella plan on taking their staff for dinner at The Ritz; the managers of their two salons, Andrew Tomkins and Joanne Cotterell, have been with them for 35 years and 21 years respectively. Looking ahead, Marchella says: “The future will hopefully continue in the same vein – over the years we have amassed a very loyal clientele, as well as continuously gaining new clients; our industry is forever evolving, and we embrace the changes and evolve with it. “My husband Keith and I have had so many wonderful memories over the years at Marchella International, and very few bad ones; hopefully, as we remain just as passionate about the industry as we were when we started, the next few years can only get better.”