UK. Leading hair styling brand ghd has further demonstrated its commitment to the travel retail channel by bringing its innovative “Style Lounge” concept to Birmingham International Airport, in conjunction with Alpha Group.
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Smooth operator: a ghd stylist works his make-over magic at Birmingham International Airport terminal one |
The three day promotional event, which is located airside just outside the main Alpha tax and duty free store in terminal one, began yesterday (Wednesday 17 December) and will end tomorrow.
“This is the second time we have brought this event to Birmingham airport, and we are delighted to have been asked back by [the airport authority] and Alpha,” ghd Head of Travel Retail George Lesniak told The Moodie Report.
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| Hot stuff: the ghd stylist team give great hair – and share professional tips – with the airport community | ||
“Our Style Lounge is an excellent way to generate interest, awareness – and of course sales. It brings retail theatre to the departure lounge area, and creates a real buzz among passengers. It’s also the ideal way to show customers, both new and existing, exactly what ghd stylers can do.”
The Style Lounge incorporates two fully-equipped styling stations, staffed by four professional ghd stylists. They are offering free consultations, advice and styling sessions to passengers, while demonstrating the wide range of different looks it is possible to achieve with ghd stylers.
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Before and after: ghd rises to the challenge of straightening out The Moodie Report Associate Editor Rebecca Mann | |
“Each mini make-over lasts around 20 minutes, and gives the stylists the opportunity to pamper passengers, share all sorts of insider tips and advice, and recommend which ghd products best suit the customer’s hair,” noted Lesniak.
“We are very pleased with the results. On Wednesday we styled between 70 and 100 passengers – including one man – and sold five high-ticket sets, in addition to a good selection of styling products.”
The sets in question were three limited-edition Purple The Gift of a Thousand Looks sets (each retailing at £154.99); one Ultimate Travel Styling Set (£134.99): and one Pink limited-edition styling set (£134.99).
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Spreading the style gospel: ghd installs its Style Lounge at Birmingham Airport |
The company is also offering passengers a gwp beach bag with every purchase made.
“We have refined this event since it made its debut here in July,” explained Lesniak. “We’ve made it more personal, and that bit more special. And we will continue to refine and adapt it, according to the location. We are pleased to be supporting regional airports such as Birmingham, and have also run this event at Manchester T2, but we are equally keen to roll out to bigger, flagship hubs such as London Heathrow.”
He continued: “As a brand, ghd is ideally suited to events such as this. And we are already thinking how to take our Style Lounge to the next level, perhaps in partnership with leading brands in other categories.”
Alpha Group Trading Manager Ian Arblaster was quick to praise all aspects of the ghd event. “From an operational point of view, everything has gone very smoothly,” he told The Moodie Report. “And there’s been such a high level of interest, not just from passengers, but from staff too. The whole airport community has benefited.”
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Above left: ghd Head of Travel Retail George Lesniak hits a purple patch | |
Arblaster continued: “The original July promotion was located inside the main store, at the front, but went so well we decided to highlight the second event even more by bringing it out into the departure lounge.
“The airport authority has been very supportive about this, and it’s an excellent example of the Trinity working together to create something different and unusual.”
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