SOVEREIGN GROOMING NAMED SCOTLAND’S BEST BARBERSHIP

A leading Scottish male grooming business is officially a cut above the rest after being named Scotland’s Best Barbershop.

Sovereign Grooming, which has salons in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow , picked up the title at the SHABA Awards, Scotland’s hair and beauty ‘Oscars’.

Sovereign founder Kyle Ross (pictured above) made it a double by also picking up the Best Barber Colourist award.

Edinburgh-based Liam Allen and Nathan Robb, of Aberdeen, were also shortlisted in the Barber of the Year category.

The silverware follows significant expansion by the business, which is being backed by a group of investors led by MB Martin & Partners Ltd, a boutique investment house that specialises in helping high-potential early-stage companies grow.

Kyle Ross said: “It is great to see the hard work and talent of the entire Sovereign team recognised in this way, and this award is testament to their commitment to quality and service.”

Like almost every other SME in Scotland, particularly, those based on the high street, the last two years has been an enormous challenge for our business. However, our teams have shown extreme resilience to deal with the challenges posed by CV19, and to help the business rebound in the way it has.”

He added: “I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved – and this recognition gives us a great platform to build upon.”

Kyle launched his first salon in the West End of Aberdeen’s Union Street in 2016 to provide a high-quality grooming service for men.

The business, which initially launched as ‘Huntsman’, rebranded as Sovereign in 2018 and now has major city centre salons in New Waverley, Edinburgh, and Renfield Street in Glasgow. It also operates two unique barber academies in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where students can become fully-qualified barbers in just 15 weeks.

Since launching the business, Kyle has won a catalogue of industry awards. In 2017 Kyle was named Scottish Men’s Stylist of the Year as well as winning Best Barber UK at the International Barber Awards in Germany.

He was subsequently named Best Barber at the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards 2018 and was named as one of Scotland’s ‘Coolest People’ by The Herald newspaper. Marketing expert and former journalist Ryan Crighton became a shareholder and director in the business in 2018.

MB Martin & Partners Ltd Chief Executive, Moray Martin, later joined Sovereign’s board as chairman following the investment deal to support the business founders through its growth phase. Together, they are seeking to establish Sovereign as a major player in the male grooming industry across the UK.