Dame Kelly Holmes helps open Eastbourne site for a beauty group taking over the South East

Hampson Beauty Clinic, in Grove Road, opened last night (March 16) with special guest Dame Kelly Holmes on hand to give out goodie bags and chat to customers.

The clinic is part of the Hampson Beauty Group (HBG) which was set up by twin sisters Maria Hammond and Nicola Simpson 20 years ago. The pair were joined by friend Maria Cramp shortly after and all three are managing directors.

The twins opened their first salon in Tonbridge and eventually opened a second branch in Paddock Wood. However, they discovered a trend with staff. Maria said: “We found the beauty industry was really fickle with staff. We’d train them up and then they’d leave to set up their own places so we thought rather than fight against that trend, we’d join them. We decided to go down the route of co-ownership.

“We’ve made an ecosystem. We train all our girls in Tonbridge at the academy we set up, they work their way up, and now we’ve got this pilot scheme of joint ownership. It’s the balance between having their own business, but then they’ve got our support and experience too.”

The Eastbourne branch is managed by Beth Alexander, who has been with the HBG for 18 months. The team only got the keys three weeks ago (February 24) so have been working day and night to get the site ready to open. Beth said: “I’ve built up my training and knowledge of everything since I started. We do everything you can think of in the beauty industry other than hair and sunbeds. The transformation process has been a lot, but it’s finally come together and we’ve done it!”

Kelly said: “I’ve known [Maria and Nicola] for over 20 years since they started with one salon. This business model helps people. It gets women to upskill and become business owners. It’s more than a regular franchise model because they train everyone to get to this stage.

“They’ve worked so hard and do not stop. They keep growing and I’m so proud of them. They want to make a difference to people. Even though they keep growing, it’s still very much their values, experience, and standards they want to uphold. As a brand it’s brilliant.”

According to data from Ordnance Survey, the beauty industry has actually grown since the pandemic.

Natlee Wheeler, business development manager for HBC, serves as the middle man between the managing directors, and the site managers like Beth. She said: “I think it’s essential for everyone. It’s good for your mental health. We’re making people feel good about themselves.

“It’s amazing to be part of a business that’s thriving. I’ve managed other businesses before and once you’re a manager that’s as high as you can go, but this ecosystem HBG has created gives people the opportunity to have their own business with the backing of people with huge amounts of experience in the industry. There’s constant growth and career development with HBG.”

Maria Cramp said: “When people come in here we want them to feel great and that’s why we get people coming back. I’ve got people that have been coming for 21 years - I speak to them more than I speak to some of my family! That’s what makes it lovely. We remember you, you’re not just a client to us.”

There are more exciting things coming up for HBG too with joint ownership sites on the horizon in Battle and Maidstone.

Seeing these women thriving and growing is so refreshing. It’s a lovely team and you can tell a lot of hard work has gone into this. I love that they’re training girls from day one and taking them beyond the regular managerial position. They’re absolutely smashing it!

As for the Eastbourne branch, it’s a very relaxing environment with nice lighting and calming colours - far from the cold clinical feel that can come with other beauty salons. It’s like the Tardis in the way, it just keeps going on and on - there’s so much there and the list of treatments on offer is never ending! I will definitely be booking in to get my nails done.

Check out photos from the opening night here

Find out more about Hampson Beauty Clinic