‘TALK ABOUT THE PASSION’
On-Magazine introduce the people behind the region’s best businesses …
THE BASICS:
Names: Marc Westerman and Steve Rowbottom
Company: Westrow
Position: Directors
LOWDOWN: Tell us about Westrow – what do you do, who do you do it for and how long have you been doing it?
At Westrow, the devil is in the detail. Our hairdressing services are underpinned with passion and creativity, while our technical strength is a result of the brand’s constantly evolving education. Premium partnerships with our preferred product manufacturers ensure our ambitions always come to fruition and so if you can envisage it, we can achieve it. Technically minded but commercially savvy, our stylists continue to flourish, working their magic in our seven salons across Yorkshire ensuring that when you visit Westrow, you will experience hairdressing that’s straight from the heart,
STANDOUT: What makes Westrow standout from your competitors?
We understand about the perception of the business and how it is perceived and received and have never diversified from our original thought process 25 years ago, which is quality over quantity every time. We established ourselves at the start as city center hairdressers, and have now expanded those same beliefs and standards of service into affluent towns and suburbs in and around Yorkshire, which we have done without de-valuing the brand in terms of price, visibility or standards.
INSPIRATION: Who or what inspires you the most?
We are continually inspired by the talent that’s within our business, as our staff are the drivers, and the future, of our brand. What has been key to our strategy from the start is to surround ourselves with the right people, who share our passion and beliefs and who have an enthusiasm for the craft.
RESPECT: Which other companies or business people do you admire and why?
We admire any business that has flourished over the last 25 years or more. Opening a business is the easy part, maintaining it through tough financial climates is the greater challenge. Locally we admire Betty’s for never diversifying from its brand values, and for encouraging a culture of discipline and dedication to client satisfaction – something we always strive for at Westrow.
PAY-OFF: What aspect of running Westrow do you enjoy the most?
Our business works by evolution not revolution, and we spend our time and money ensuring that our staff are constantly nurtured and given opportunities to enjoy a long-lasting and flourishing career. The pay off is watching them succeed. Case in point is the recent L’Oreal Colour Trophy Grand Final where Lauren Elliott and Matthew Sutcliffe from Westrow West Park took home the trophy. This is one of the highest industry accolades, and to see our staff achieve at such a high level is a great feeling – both personally and professionally.
CHALLENGE: … and what’s the trickiest part?
The trickiest part of running a business can be adapting to change, however over the the last 25 years we have learned to endorse and welcome this into the business. This is important –as the business develops, so too must our ideas. What worked yesterday may not work for us today, and so we do all we can to continually evolve and be receptive to new ideas and people’s needs.
FREETIME: Tell us what you do when you’re not running Westrow?
When we’re not involved with Westrow we both like to travel, and experience new cultures and lifestyles.
FUTURE: Where would you like to see Westrow in ten years time?
We have made a commitment to ourselves to open xx more salons in the next ten years with three in the immediate pipeline. We are also just signing the freehold on our new 4,500 sq ft Westrow Academy that will house all of our education and administration under one roof. Our aim then is to roll out a satellite academy, to deliver the same services in other parts of the country as we expand our salon base. With the aid of great people, brand awareness, marketing, PR and social media we believe we have a fantastic platform for a very exciting future. For Westrow, the sky’s the limit!