Business

Hair studio doubles in size following £275,000 Santander funding package

Andrew Mulvenna (right), owner of Andrew Mulvenna Hair, with Jamie Foulkes from Santander Business Banking
Andrew Mulvenna (right), owner of Andrew Mulvenna Hair, with Jamie Foulkes from Santander Business Banking Andrew Mulvenna (right), owner of Andrew Mulvenna Hair, with Jamie Foulkes from Santander Business Banking

BELFAST salon Andrew Mulvenna Hair is moving to new premises following £276,000 funding from Santander Business Banking.

The new premises, which are double the size of the previous salon, are located in a Grade 2 listed building on Victoria Street and will allow the firm to expand its employee numbers and training academy.

The business is owned and run by Andrew Mulvenna, the lead stylist and brand ambassador for the salon.

In addition to the new premises, the funding from Santander has allowed the business to expand its hairstylist academy, which offers training for aspiring stylists, giving them the opportunity to train in a highly qualified and respected professional salon.

The new city centre salon will enable the company to grow from 21 chairs to 45 and recruit an extra 20 staff, taking its payroll to around 50.

Owner Andrew Mulvenna said: “The process of moving premises can be extremely stressful and daunting for an independent business, but the funding and support from Santander made it a lot easier.

"As a result, we've been given the opportunity to expand the business for growth and to continue providing excellent quality styling options for our customers, with the added benefit of developing a new generation of hairdressers on site in our academy.”

Jamie Foulkes, relationship director for Santander Business Banking, said: “We're delighted to support Andrew as he expands his business. He has been a long-standing customer and our relationship with him has been strong from the beginning.

"By doubling the size of the salon, he is providing aspiring stylists in the local area with the opportunity to learn from an experienced team of professional hairdressers.”