International men’s grooming salon to open Nottingham outlet

A men’s grooming salon that has branches across the world is moving into a vacant unit in Nottingham’s revitalised Bridlesmith Gate

MENSPIRE has agreed terms to open its latest outlet at 37 Bridlesmith Gate in the next few weeks.

The high-end brand, which offers its customers individually tailored hair consultations and bespoke styling, has more than 20 branches in locations including Amsterdam, Dublin, Budapest, Watford, Aberdeen, Naples and Portland, Oregon, in the US.

MENSPIRE director Seamus O’Keeffe, who already runs the firm’s salon in Anstey, Leicester, chose to expand into the new 353 sq ft Nottingham premises after falling in love with the “buzz” of Bridlesmith Gate.

The deal, brokered by FHP, follows a move by Nottingham-based landlord ALB Group to snap up properties in the street in an effort to give it a new lease of life after many shops had gone out of business.

ALB managing director Arran Bailey bought 11 retail units and offered cheaper and more flexible rent agreements with a mission to give Bridlesmith Gate a cooler vibe, similar to London’s Carnaby Street.

Bailey said: “The dream to revitalise this area of my hometown with independent, specialist and high-quality businesses has been coming together nicely over the past year or so.

“To add an amazing, international brand like MENSPIRE to the list really is icing on the cake. It’s a real coup for Nottingham.”

O’Keeffe, who will be bringing four or five top men’s stylists with him to Nottingham, counts a number of Premier League footballers among his list of regular clients.

He said: “There’s a lot more individuality now,” he said. “People are much more open to having something that genuinely suits them, rather than just following the crowd.

“Focusing as we do on precision barbering with diverse creativity and tailor-made client consultations to find out exactly what they want, we are confident we will go down well in Nottingham. And we just love the new buzz in Bridlesmith Gate.”

He said his ambition was to open a new MENSPIRE Academy in the East Midlands, potentially in Nottingham.

Oliver Marshall, associate director of Nottingham property agent FHP, said: “It’s great to see a retailer with such a strong, international brand take one of the last Bridlesmith Gate units. It’s a real reflection on the refreshing vision that Arran Bailey has brought to the city.”