History

cuts@once was born as a family business under another name in Gore, South Island, New Zealand. The company directors were father and daughter, Reg Ackland and Cheryll Davis, both experienced hairstylists with more than 50 years jointly in the industry. After a move to the Nelson region in 1993, the family business continued in a conventional salon in Richmond.

The growth rate of this new salon was good, and, as staff were employed, more intentional business principles were applied. Casual business, rather than appointments, became a large part of the business. The mix of appointments and casual customers clearly filled a gap in the market. Full service hairdressing, with or without an appointment, proved a winning formula. A run down shopping Mall that had almost ceased to exist was under new management, and had begun to circulate plans for growth. At the same time the salon added another innovation to their business. Operating five and a half days a week with four or five staff, they added a retail section for hair care and styling products. This innovation began to bring a higher number of people into the salon almost from the first day, and turnover increased exponentially. A change in directors in November 2001 brought Cheryll's husband Robin into the business as Reg Ackland retired. With this change came some fresh thinking and ideas which, when tied in with the Mall redevelopment, were to prove extremely productive.

A process began in 2002 with the development of a second salon within the Mall, no appointments, cuts and retail only. The model achieved an immediate high level of growth. The lessons learned in the process resulted in:

  • Re branding to a name very descriptive of the operating policies
  • Complete removal of appointment hairdressing
  • The eventual closure of the Queen Street Salon
  • The consolidation in the Mall environment to full service
  • The expansion of the Mall salon to cater for the growth

The development was under-pinned by a 3 year business development course which resulted in a fully systemised business suitable for replication by Franchising. In 2009 the cuts@once business model was voted the mid size business of the year by the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce.