professionalbeauty.co.uk
Express salon and mobile treatment company Blow Ltd has raised a further £3.5m of investment through the venture capital arm of consumer products giant Unilever, an existing investor in the company.
Blow Ltd plans to use the investment to roll out its services, currently only available in London and the Home Counties, to Manchester and Birmingham, with services scheduled to be available from late May as PB went to press.
Blow also plans to boost its tech platform and to expand into an international city by the end of the year, although it is yet to reveal which one.
The announcement comes along with the appointment of new chief executive Brian Hickey, who was previously divisional director of on-demand food delivery service Just Eat.
Commenting on his new role, Hickey said: “Having refined the operational model in London, it is now time to kick off our ambitious expansion plans”.
Former chief executive and co-founder Dharmash Mistry will become chairman, while co-founder Fiona McIntosh remains creative director. Steven Wilson from Unilever Ventures will also join the board. Recent findings from a survey conducted by Mintel on behalf of Blow suggest that the on-demand beauty concept is indeed set for continued growth in line with increasingly busy lifestyles.
53% of the global female workforce said stressful office life has them closer to burning out than they were five years ago. 35% of women said they were attracted to on-demand treatments in their own space because salons don’t offer enough privacy. Plus, it would appear that many women who regularly have treatments find it more relaxing and enjoyable if they don’t have to travel for an appointment – 59% agreed that a beauty routine can boost relaxation, especially when made as convenient as possible.
As well as mobile services, Blow Ltd operates two express beauty salons in London’s Covent Garden and Canary Wharf.