Scully scully

Bringing London style to the suburbs has been the key to success for one Surrey-based salon group. When Paul Scully decided to open a salon of his own he knew exactly what he was looking for – a suburban area lacking big city salon style. Godalming in Surrey – a small, wealthy town on the outskirts of the bigger, more commercial town of Guildford – fitted the bill perfectly. In 2002, after nearly 20 years in the hairdressing industry working for Vidal Sassoon in London, then John Carne and Hair Associates in Surrey, Paul joined forces with Des Moore, the entrepreneurial husband of one of his clients, and opened the first Scully Scully salon in a three-storey listed building in Godalming high street.“We wanted the salon to have a luxury touch, but I was careful with the budget. I didn’t want to spend too much early on and find it difficult to reach a break-even point,” explains Paul. Around £40,000 later, the salon was completed and a success from the start. Paul’s concept of bringing city hairdressing to the suburbs was the salon’s unique selling point (USP) and the story behind its initial marketing campaign. “We played on the fact that we had brought London hairdressing to Surrey, which set us apart from other salons in the area,” he says. Paul concentrated on promoting the slaon through upmarket local publications aimed at the kind of people already making their way through the salon’s doors. “Our clientele ranges from children to people in their 70s but at the core are women between 25 and 50, from young professionals at one end of the scale to ladies who lunch and business people at the other.” No longer practical Starting with a team of eight four years ago, by the beginning of this year the team had doubled to 16 and the listed building, made up of a series of small rooms, was no longer practical for the growing team and their clients. Paul decided it was time to relocate. Des, who concentrates on the financial side of the business, sourced an alternative premises in a secondary location in Godalming, but Paul, used to the success of the original salon, was wary of moving from their prime position. “It was a fantastic building and had a brilliant Manhattan loft appeal,” he explains. “I was worried about giving up our high street location, but I put my doubts aside and decided to go for it.” The new salon opened earlier this year. Second salon With one successful salon under his belt, Paul immediately turned his attention to opening a second site. “I had brought in some former colleagues and found myself with a lot of senior talent under one roof. I thought if I could spread it out into a second site I could bring in clients from a wider catchment area. Although Godalming had a great feed from surrounding villages, it always bugged me that we were missing out on a huge market from nearby Guildford.” Guildford – a large, thriving town in Surrey, about 30 miles from London and five miles from Godalming – is home to every large high street brand, including many major players in hairdressing. “It was a worry that we’d be competing with them but we thought positive, told ourselves we could rise above it and decided to go for it.” However, high street Guildford meant high rent and rates – and this alone presented a quandary. “We looked at several sites, some in the high street which meant extortionate terms, and some off the high street which were less,” explains Paul. “And we had to weigh up which would be the best option for us.“ Paul bit the bullet and went for the high rent, high foot-fall option, located right among the competition. “We decided it was better to be situated where people knew they could already find salons. That way if they were looking for a haircut there was a chance they’d come to us,” he says. After building the Scully Scully brand in Godalming, Paul knew it was integral to the success of the Guildford salon to ensure a consistent experience. Offering the same service in each salon was a must if the brand was to live up to clients' expectations. “It's impossible to get two salons exactly the same,“ says Paul. “But you can ensure the same standards. “ The Guildford branch opened on 20 March. To date, it looks as if the formula that gave the company its initial success is proving a winner here too. Although Paul has concentrated on building a local clientele, moving to Guildford has meant that people from beyond the locality have been introduced to the Scully Scully experience. “People come shopping here from the South Coast, Dorset and beyond, so this location has opened up real doors for us.“ So what does the future hold for the brand? “I think growth is inevitable“ says Paul. However, he's also keen to point out that he's not planning nationwide domination. “It's easy to get carried away and think you're bigger than you are. We've established a great local brand but it's very difficult to go out of the vicinity and be recognised. You're better to build on what you have.“ With this in mind, Paul plans two more salons within a 10-mile readius of Guildford as part of a 10-year plan. Honing a stronghold in Surrey has really worked for this salon group.