British Hairdressing Business Awards 2025: The Salons Turning Cuts into Brands

The British Hairdressing Business Awards 2025 lit up the Royal Lancaster London on 7 July 2025, bringing together some of the UK’s sharpest salon owners, educators and teams for a night that felt more like a business summit than a beauty bash. Hosted by ITV’s This Morning presenter Ben Shephard, the ceremony celebrated everything that happens behind the chair – customer service, marketing, sustainability, leadership and team culture.

Below, we break down the key winners and why these salons are no longer just places to get your hair done – they’re fully-fledged mini-empires shaping how Britain cuts, colours and shops beauty.

Why the British Hairdressing Business Awards 2025 winners matter

HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards spotlight the “business brains” of UK hairdressing, not just creative cuts. Categories span customer service, innovation, sustainability, marketing, management and team performance, with 2025 winners including STIL Salon, Piper Violet Hair, Smith England, Stā Studios, Crate Cheshire, Williams & Hirst, Michael Van Clarke and more.

For Niche readers, that turns the winners list into a curated guide: where to book next, which salons are building real brands, and who’s quietly reshaping the beauty economy from the high street up.

STIL Salon: Salon of the Year 1 and London’s Scandi-style storytellers

Awards:

• Salon of the Year 1 – STIL Salon

• Customer Service Award – Christel & Alex Barron-Hough, STIL Salon

Based in London, STIL Salon describes itself as “London’s leading colour-specialist & style salon,” rooted in Scandinavian heritage – stil literally means “style” in Swedish. Fashion titles from GLAMOUR to ELLE and Tatler regularly feature the salon in round-ups of the best places for cut and colour in the city.

The double win at the British Hairdressing Business Awards 2025 – Salon of the Year 1 plus the Customer Service Award for founders Christel and Alex Barron-Hough – confirms what London beauty editors already knew: this is a destination for clients who treat hair as a long-term relationship, not a one-off appointment.

Where to find it: STIL operates in London, including locations in Chelsea and West London, with booking links via its official site and social channels.

Piper Violet Hair: Salon of the Year 2 and Twickenham’s discreet colour atelier

Award:

• Salon of the Year 2 – Piper Violet Hair

In Twickenham, Piper Violet Hair bills itself as a discreet, luxe space on Church Street, offering one-to-one appointments and “visionary consultations” with a strong focus on bespoke colour work and hair health.

Winning Salon of the Year 2 at the British Hairdressing Business Awards 2025 recognises the salon’s ability to run a tight, high-performing business while keeping the experience intimate and highly personal – the opposite of a production-line model.

Where to book: 56 Church Street, Twickenham, with appointments managed online via booking platforms linked from its official channels.

Smith England: Salon Team of the Year and Salisbury’s community powerhouse

Award:

• Salon Team of the Year – Smith England

Based on Silver Street in Salisbury, Smith England is a family-owned, family-run salon described as “community focussed,” known as much for its charity and local work as for creating beautiful hair.

Being named Salon Team of the Year 2025 recognises not just technical skill but team culture – how staff collaborate, how clients are looked after, and how the salon contributes to the wider city. For UK readers outside London, it’s a reminder that serious hairdressing “brands” aren’t confined to the capital.

Where to book: 44 Silver Street, Salisbury, with online booking and retail via Smith England’s digital platforms.

Stā Studios: Sustainable Salon of the Year and the future of salon co-working

Award:

• Sustainable Salon of the Year – Stā Studios

Stā Studios is a progressive, brand-neutral, co-working salon space founded by entrepreneur and hairdresser Samantha Cusick. Designed “by hairdressers, for hairdressers,” it’s built as a flexible hub for freelance creatives.

Their philosophy is explicit: sustainability should be the default, not a trend. A 2025 blog from the brand outlines how the studio is committed to minimising environmental impact and building a more sustainable salon model.

Winning Sustainable Salon of the Year 2025 puts Stā at the centre of a shift where business excellence now includes how you treat the planet – not just your clients.

Crate Cheshire: Grooming Salon of the Year and the modern gentlemen’s club

Award:

• Barbershop / Grooming Salon of the Year – Crate Cheshire

With locations in Knutsford, Northwich and Macclesfield, Crate Cheshire positions itself as a luxury barbershop experience for men – a place for high-quality cuts, grooming and a relaxed, club-like atmosphere.

At the 2025 awards, the brand took home Barbershop/Grooming Salon of the Year, with founder Charles Rose crediting his team as the reason Crate “lives on,” underlining how vital staff culture is to premium grooming.

For male grooming in the UK, Crate’s win signals how barbershops are evolving from quick-cut spots into fully branded experiences, complete with apps, reviews and multi-location expansion.

Williams & Hirst, Michael Van Clarke and the business of brand-building

A few more 2025 winners show how salons now think like modern brands:

• Williams & Hirst – Salon Design Award and Independent Salon – Business Newcomer. Based on Wardour Street in Soho, this co-working salon for independent stylists runs 18 chairs and uses tech (Square) to manage both stylist rentals and client appointments – a hybrid of salon, workspace and event hub.

• Michael Van Clarke LLP – Marketing Campaign of the Year and Business Director of the Year for Michael Van Clarke himself. From the Marylebone salon to the Van Clarke haircare line and quizzes that help clients find tailored products, this is a textbook “salon-to-brand” story.

• Novo Cabelo – Social Stylist of the Year for Rob Wood, reflecting how hairdressers now build influence and trust via social media as much as the salon floor.

Together, these wins show that British Hairdressing Business Awards 2025 success is about much more than haircuts – it’s about storytelling, digital strategy, sustainability and community impact.

Where to book next: turning award winners into your UK hair hit list

If you’re using this year’s winners as a “where to book next” guide:

• Head to STIL Salon in London for colour-driven, Scandi-inspired hair and award-winning service.

• Try Piper Violet Hair in Twickenham for a one-to-one luxury colour experience in a discreet space.

• Visit Smith England in Salisbury for community-minded hairdressing and an award-winning team.

• Look to Stā Studios if you’re a freelance creative or sustainability-focused client wanting a progressive environment.

• Book Crate Cheshire in Knutsford, Northwich or Macclesfield if you want a barbershop that feels like a modern gentlemen’s club.