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The Sapphires Awards 2009
Date Added: 2009-06-18
Glitz, glamour, excitement and passion came together last night for the inaugural Sapphires Awards held at London’s Dorchester Hotel.
Celebrating the success of the salon franchising sector, the awards applauded the hard work and dedication of those in the industry.
Hosted by designer, Wayne Hemingway and Salon Business’ Editorial Director, Maria Weijers, the event mixed entertainment with elegance.
The celebrations went on long into the night with a lounge party sponsored by Racoon International
The evening kicked off with a speech by Professor Roy Seamen of Franchise Development Services, before moving on to the awards presentation, which saw 11 separate accolades handed out.
The first award of the evening went to Kelly Letchford from hob, Loughton, who won the gong for Best Use of Technology sponsored by Shortcuts Salon & Spa Software.
The award for Top Training Development, sponsored by NatWest, went to Claire Denyer, of Saks Hair and Beauty Kingshill.
The best local marketing award, sponsored by SalonGenius was awarded to Wilson Derbyshire of Saks, Northallerton.
The must coveted honour of Best Franchise Salon, sponsored by Corioliss was awarded to Darren Fowler of Clipso London who, the judges said, showed a very creative approach to business, encompassing the franchise ethos as well as delivering excellent business results.
The fifth award of the evening, Front of House, was sponsored by Wahl and was awarded to Sheena Newlands from Francesco Group, Stafford.
Salon Gold sponsored the gong for Franchisee of the Year, which went to Phil Smith of Toni & Guy, Salisbury.
Haringtons won the accolade of Most Effective Website, an award sponsored by Allianz.
The next award, Top Training Scheme, was sponsored by Racoon International and was given to Saks.
Best Corporate Marketing Campaign, sponsored by L’Oréal Professionnel, also went to Saks.
Headmasters won the gong for Best Corporate Image, a distinction sponsored by Great Lengths, for Headmasters aspirational, yet consumer friendly image.
The final and ultimate award of the evening went to Toni&Guy for Franchisor of the Year, an accolade sponsored by Clynol.
The evening finished with a special recognition to Mr Toni Mascolo OBE who was celebrated for his commitment to the industry and his work to change the face of hairdressing globally. For this Mr Mascolo was given the Pioneer of UK Salon Franchising award.
The Sapphires proved to be an extra special event which truly recognised the work of those in the sector. Salon Business will bring you all the coverage of the event, including a full image gallery, videos and much, much more. Watch this space.
