With a busy salon and boutique spa already under her belt, the owner of Lincoln-based Simpsons Beauty Group tells Eleanor Vousden why the time is right to branch out into aesthetics

Having run a Lincoln city-centre salon focused on express treatments for 16 years, and a nearby hotel-based spa for 13, Simpsons owner Terri Clarke is about to take her first foray into the medi-spa market. Simpsons Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing Centre is set to open this month in nearby Hykeham, offering injectables and peels, alongside express beauty treatments.

“There’s a state-of-the-art medical centre next door to the property and I saw this as an opportunity to create a salon more focused on aesthetics, health and wellness, which could work in conjunction with it,” said Clarke.

Clarke’s relationship with the Simpsons brand began in 2004, when, after studying beauty and working as a therapist for four years, she heard about the proposed closure of the original Simpsons salon in Lincoln’s city centre.

Having originally gone in to purchase equipment from the owner, Clarke ended up falling in love with and acquiring the salon at just 20 years old.

Although Simpsons had only been open for 10 months, Clarke decided to keep its original name, as it had good reputation locally, and began to transform the salon, which now offers a Champagne bar alongside its extensive treatment menu of facials, lashes, brows and more. Four years later, Clarke opened Simpsons’ second site, a boutique spa at Branston Hall - a country house hotel in Lincolnshire - which offers massages, facials and spa packages alongside its nails and brows offering.

However, Clarke had always wanted to open a results-driven clinic, so when she noticed that Richmond Medical Centre, a doctor’s surgery in Hykeham, was up for sale, she decided it would be the perfect site. “I have been looking for the last few years to open another branch, I’ve just been waiting for the right place to come up for sale in the right location,” she says. “We wanted to do something that’s a little bit different at the Hykeham branch. As well as offering the express treatments like we do at our city branch, we wanted a medi-spa brand that is more clinical.”

Growth plan

Clarke has invested £50,000 into the 3,000sq ft clinic, which will have nine treatment rooms, each designated to a specific service, and will offer resultsdriven facials and aesthetic treatments, from microneedling and peels to laser, teeth whitening and tanning beds. “We have an aesthetic nurse, Sarah Potts, who does two clinics a month at our existing branches,” she says. “She’s very popular, so she’ll run more clinics on a weekly basis at our new branch.” Like their other sites, the new business will also offer express beauty and will house three pedicure stations, six nail stations, two HD Brows chairs, and a coffee and champagne bar. Clarke is looking to employ up to 11 therapists at the site.

The Hykeham area was ideal for Clarke, as the clinic is positioned near the busy A1 motorway and has free parking on site. “It’s in a completely different part of the city than my other branches, and I wanted to offer different clients something depending on what their needs were,” she says. “You have people on the go, those who are retired, and those who have a calmer or more hectic lifestyle, so we’ve just tried to really look at everybody’s needs and offer something in one of our locations that that suits their lifestyle.”

Clockwise from top: Simspons Boutique spa at Branston Hall, Simpsons City Hall in Lincoln, Simpsons new Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing Centre in Hykeham

The clientele varies between the sites, with the city salon attracting people popping in on their lunch break for express treatments, whereas those looking for relaxation will visit Branston Hall spa. However, Clarke saw a gap in the market for those looking for something more than a facial or massage. “When you start a new project, you learn every time what’s going to work better, and I’m now putting all that into the opening of Hykeham,” she says. Although the three branches crossover with their offerings, they will remain individual. “They will be very different, but they will still have the Simpsons feel, touch and attention to detail,” she says.

Paving the way

With the site opening later this month, and new treatments launching, there are still details to finalise. “Teeth whitening is a completely new thing to us, so we are in talks and arranging meetings with different suppliers at the moment, so we’ve got to go through those legislations in the coming weeks,” says Clarke. Thankfully, Clarke’s aesthetic nurse already has the licences to perform injectable treatments, so Simpsons has already been through many of the processes involved. “If customers are paying for a service, they need to get that from staff that are qualified and experienced,” says Clarke. “That’s what sets us apart from our competitors and makes the majority of people return to us.”

This page clockwise from above: Simpsons city salon pedicure station, city salon retail area, Boutique spa garden, Boutique spa reception area

Simpsons is highly training-focused, and Clarke says this investment in her 38 therapists has served her well as she opens her third site. “I’m lucky that I have a loyal team - they tend to stay with me for a long time and work their way up in the company,” she says. “We have created a lot of job opportunities at the Hykeham branch, so we are offering all staff at our existing sites the chance to apply to further their career, and some will be relocating throughout the three branches. I’m lucky I haven’t got a brand new team going into Hykeham; they have been with me for a long time and know my standards.”

Clarke has already appointed an area manager, Sally Swain, to oversee all three sites, Swain has worked with the business for 13 years, beginning as a therapist. Clarke has also appointed a manager for the Hykeham branch, who is returning to the Simpsons business following a stint as regional manager for aesthetics supplier DermaQuest.

“The aesthetics industry is new to me, so I’m lucky that she will be working alongside me to look at which product brands we bring in, and helping with staff training to make sure they are performing their treatments to the highest standard possible,” she says.

Clarke has noticed a significant upsurge in demand for aesthetic treatments, and hopes the new site will attract clients willing to pay a high price for instant results. “Some people want more than just a beauty treatment, they want to see the results instantly,” she says. “Our aesthetic nurse does a lot of non-surgical facelifts using fillers and anti-wrinkle injections, and they cost more than £1,000, which is obviously a big outlay for customers to pay,” she says. “But the demand from people wanting to look younger has increased massively over the past few years. She is booked solid with those appointments on a regular basis, so it has definitely boosted the profit margins within our business.”

Onwards and upwards

Clarke has big plans for the Simpsons brand, including opening a fourth site in the near future. “I’ve looked at branching out further afield to Nottingham, and I would really like to have a series of city branches in up-and-coming cities,” she says. Other plans include the development of a Simpsons training academy, and investment into the spa side of the business. “Out of all my three locations, my passion really lies in the spa industry,” she says. “So, I spend a lot of time at the spa and a lot of my ideas are focused there. I would love to expand and open another boutique spa somewhere a little further afield.” PB

KEY DATES

2002

Clarke qualifies as a beauty therapist and begins working in Saks salon in Lincolnshire

2004

Acquires Lincolnbased Simpsons City Centre Champagne Nail and Beauty Salon

2007

Simpsons Boutique Spa opens at Branston Hall Hotel

2017

Simpsons City Centre Champagne Nail & Beauty Salon wins PB’s North East Large Salon of the Year Award

2020

Simpsons Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing Centre site set to open late March