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Inverness-based retailer wins coveted Drapers Award for Best Independent Footwear Retailer

9 Jul 2024

A family-owner retailer in Inverness, Begg Shoes, has been named Best Independent Footwear Retailer at the 2024 Drapers Footwear Awards, held annually to celebrate the outstanding achievements... Read more…

'Pay-as-you-feel' barber wins hairdressing award

9 Jul 2024

A man who offers "pay-as-you-feel" haircuts has been named the UK's best barber.
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The Times publishes its list of the seven best shopping streets in the UK

24 Jun 2024

The Times has just published its list of the seven best shopping streets in the UK.
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Indie retail village wins Hospitality Hero Velvet Award for 2024

24 Jun 2024

An independent retail village in Ely that celebrates its one-year anniversary this month has won the Hospitality Hero Velvet Award for 2024.
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Bike shop owner slams police’s “abject apathy” after three shops broken into in one night

24 Jun 2024

A cycle shop owner has criticised the police’s “abject apathy” towards bike theft after thieves attempted to break into his store for the second time in a year, on the same... Read more…

A simple comparison of the General Election manifestos

24 Jun 2024

With less than three weeks to go until the General Election, Bira has produced a simple table comparing manifestos for Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Reform UK, and... Read more…

Independents Day message - supporting independent shops boosts local jobs and economies.

24 Jun 2024

With the annual Independents’ Day weekend coming up on July 6th and 7th, independent retailers have been reinforcing the message that supporting independent shops boosts... Read more…

Euro 2024 predicted to deliver multi-million-pound boost for independent retailers

24 Jun 2024

Research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has suggested 6% of shoppers will buy a new TV or electronic device during the Euros, 4% will purchase official merchandise and nearly 10% will... Read more…

Bira leads £1 billion damages claim against Amazon by UK retailers in landmark collective action

12 Jun 2024

A £1 billion damages claim has been filed against Amazon on behalf of retailers selling on Amazon’s UK marketplace for illegally misusing their data and manipulating the Amazon Buy... Read more…

Bira responds to KPMG Retail Sales Monitor report

10 Jun 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has responded to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for May 2024.
Read more…

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'Pay-as-you-feel' barber wins hairdressing award

Posted on in Business News

A man who offers "pay-as-you-feel" haircuts has been named the UK's best barber.

Donal O'Leary, who works at the Apothecary 87 salon in the Doncaster suburb of Balby, won the Barber of the Year category at the 2024 UK Hair and Beauty Awards.

haircutMr O'Leary said he provided a vital service to people during the cost-of-living crisis by only charging them what they could afford. He was "in shock" after hearing he had won the title.

He added: "I never expected to win. It's something I've been striving for for a while." Mr O'Leary has been a barber for eight years and was encouraged to enter the contest after speaking to his girlfriend and family.

"I've always wanted to enter a competition like this," he said.

"But I've never had the courage to do it."

Haircuts with no fixed price are available once a week to both men and women.

Mr O'Leary added: "With how hard times are at the moment with the cost of living, we thought it would be great to give everyone the chance to have a haircut, make them look and feel good."

Customers include people who have been showering at gyms and sports centres because they were struggling to pay utility bills. Women, who often have to pay more for styling at female-centric salons, have also used the service.

"For some it's really been a massive thing," Mr O'Leary said.

"Being able to get a haircut for free or as much as they can afford is really beneficial."

Mr O'Leary learned to cut hair while he was a student at Trinity Western University in Canada, where he played for the football team.

He added that the pay-as-you-feel haircuts were "good for Doncaster".

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