1. Staff changes - Lee and I were discussing the need to recruit extra staff to cope with demand during peak periods only a few weeks ago. Then, as many of you know, at the end of March Lee was hospitalised. This hastened my search for new staff.
Thankfully Lee recovered well and returned to work. In the meantime Walid was recruited. Unfortunately for us, shortly after Walid started, Lee moved on to a new job near Wetherby, and we wish him every success.
So, for the time being, we shall be giving Walid more hours and not begin recruiting again until he has built up his 'column' enough to keep himself busy.
Walid is a superb barber, having trained in Lebanon and worked in Australia, Dubai, Spain and London. Walid's haircuts are on point, his fades are absolutely top notch and his shaving and beard trimming skills have already left even some of the fussiest customers very impressed. For those of you of a certain age, if you phone up he is the one who sounds like Harry Enfield's Stavros (LOL).
2. Staff availability - Walid will be on holiday for two weeks in the middle of May. Obviously this will seriously reduce capacity. In order to minimise the impact, some hours will be added and the Two's Up offer will be briefly suspended. It will be re-introduced upon Walid's return. Prior bookings of the Two's Up offer will be honoured. Pre-booking, as always, is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment.
3. Two's Up - In case anyone missed it....the Two's Up offer allows two people to book haircuts at the same time for only £25, saving £9. This was introduced last year to encourage father & son visits and to ease the burden on parents who have more than one son. It is also a great way for you to bring along a friend, partner etc. As stated above, it will be temporarily suspended during staff holidays.
4. American Crew - We have introduced American Crew hair products into the shop. They have a great range of hair products and American Crew also offer fantastic training opportunities to stockists. Myself and Walid have already spent a full day training with them at the Westrow Academy in Leeds, cutting hair using only a razor. We hope the combination of higher grade products and extra training will enhance the level of service we are able to provide to you.
5. Buy one, get one half price - As an introductory offer, if you buy two American Crew products, you get the cheaper one at half price (in May only).
6. Aircon - Many of you will have experienced the greenhouse-like conditions in the shop in previous summers. This is due to our south facing position and large glass frontage. We have now had aircon installed, so you really can chill out at Philip Nicholas when it's hot outside!!
7. Review competition - The winner of our monthly review competition is Rich Huxley. The winner each month receives a complimentary Philip Nicholas Experience worth £45.