Family hairdressing business celebrates 100 years in Rothwell

For the past 100 years people have been able to get their hair cut and styled by a member of the Newman family, and the latest generation of the Rothwell hairdressing dynasty is celebrating the centenary.

John Newman Hairdressing & Beauty (JNH&B) has marked its milestone of trading with an open evening for the staff, family, friends, suppliers and business colleagues.

Salon director Shirley Newman is at the helm of the business following the early retirement of her husband, John Newman, from ill health nearly 10 years ago, and is the third generation to run the family salon.

She said: “This is such a fantastic achievement to still be here after 100 years in Rothwell, and such credit and tribute to the Newman family’s spirit.

"The continued success we have witnessed is all down to our incredibly loyal and innovative staff who have been constantly evolving the JNH&B brand, and taking us into the 21st century.

“There has never been a century like it and the last few years, in particular, have been as tough as those of a century ago.

"It is a huge achievement to have survived the pandemic, during which time the business had to close. However, we are stronger today than ever, thanks to our loyal customers and amazing staff."

Although John was born into the family business it wasn’t his first choice of career. After signing-up for an engineering apprenticeship he soon realised that he preferred the opportunities working in a female dominated environment.

He said: “I was going to be an engineer with Timsons, then all of a sudden I thought ‘I don’t want to do that – where can I find a lot of women to talk to?’”

Combining playing rugby with hairdressing training at Tresham College and then Vidal Sassoon, he earned the nickname ‘Bouffant’ shortened to Bouf, a name that he’s still known by today.

Wife Shirley came to hairdressing via a career as a medical secretary. Her role at the salon evolved from initially helping with the paperwork, to becoming a receptionist to her training as a stylist.

When John had a stroke in 2013, Shirley took on the day-to-day salon management.

She said: “Today we have furthered our success winning many local awards, with clients coming far and wide to enjoy the crafting of the finest hairstyles, treatments and techniques that our award-winning hair and beauty salon offers.

"Alongside this, our first-class beauty team has also perfected an array of services and pampering skills for our faithful customers to experience.

“The team has not only put their heart and soul into the business, but they have also donated their own personal time to support many local charities, some of which we have raised money for during our centenary celebrations.

“I thank everyone past and present for supporting us through the good times and the hard times. Without our outstanding customers we wouldn’t be here today. A big thank you goes out to everyone for their long-standing and loyal custom, and we look forward to welcoming everyone, once again, to continue our very proud and strong heritage in Rothwell.”

The JNH&B team has raised more than £31,000 supporting charities including the Alzheimer’s Society; the Stroke Association and Twinkling Stars Appeal for the Kettering General Hospital Charity Fund.