Heritage

BACK IN THE DAY

1974 THE FIRST SAKS SALON opens in Darlington, and customers flock in for the new relaxed cuts and blow dries. Our future co-owner and managing director Stephen Kee joins as a junior within days. More Saks salons quickly open their doors around the region.

1975 AND JUST LIKE THAT. Martin at Saks Teesside says “I walked past Saks Middlesbrough on the way to the footy. I pressed my nose against the glass – it was a hive of activity! I was an industrial engraver and knew then that I wanted to be a hairdresser. I rang up until they gave me a chance. I turned up with my haversack on the first day, and was welcomed in. Everyone was up for training me and looking out for me.”

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS

1980s STYLING WAS BIG. Lynn at Saks South Shields says “Our co-founders, Malcolm Hanson and Dennis Cheesebrough, worked in the Darlington salon. Malcolm had us all natural drying hair with our hands – it was his thing. Dennis taught us wrap drying for a polished finish. Great techniques.”

1981 SAKS FRANCHISING launches bringing Saks to the rest of the UK; with salons from Aberdeen to Exeter today.

1995 L’OREAL AND SAKS. The start of a special partnership that goes from strength to strength right through to the here and now.

90S STYLING AND SAKS BEAUTY

1990s TRENDS WERE ON. Anna At Saks Sedbury Hall “The Rachel was the most asked for – we all wanted to be Jennifer Aniston. For colour, two thick blonde (money piece) stripes at the front. And straighteners launching was a game changer!”

1995 SAKS BEAUTY LAUNCHES to a soundtrack of ‘Back for Good’ and Blur v Oasis – because our hair customers asked. Advanced facials become our clinical offering.

1997 ON SAKS BEAUTY Sue at Sedbury Hall says “I opened Saks Beauty at Scotch Corner. Back in the day we were all about facials and massages. Gel nails and LVL lashes didn’t exist – oh how times change!”

EXPANSION AND EDUCATION

1998 DAVID LLOYD LEISURE gets in touch and we become the chosen salon group for their health clubs

1998 OUR FIRST SAKS TRAINING ACADEMY opens in Darlington. Thousands of stylists and therapists train and get qualified with Saks throughout the years.

1999 SAKS APPRENTICESHIPS LAUNCHES offering quality education, preparing learners for success. Acknowledged as outstanding we’re awarded UK’s Best Training Provider with Beacon Status and we become one of the UK’s top training providers for hair, beauty and management apprenticeships.

NAUGHTY 40S

2008 ADVANCED BEAUTY AT SAKS makes us a go-to choice for making a visible difference to skin. We adopt a prescriptive approach to skin health, with a focus on the synergy between therapist know-how and innovative treatments and products.

2013 THE SAKS YOUTUBE CHANNEL LAUNCHES with an array of informative how-to vids from our hair and beauty experts in response to the mood of the moment as content becomes Queen.

2014 WE CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF SAKS with original owner Dennis Cheesebrough and original junior Stephen Kee still at the helm. Saks people celebrate our hair and beauty heritage and enjoy a fabulous year of SAKS 40 celebrations. What. A. Year!

HAIR, BEAUTY and WELLBEING

2015 WE CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF SAKS BEAUTY. As our beauty experts have honed a brilliant menu of face, body and glam treatments down the years, every bit of you can be relaxed, invigorated, transformed and glammed!

2015 WE START OUR SPECIAL FUNDRAISING entering a national charity partnership with The Eve Appeal, raising funds and awareness for gynaecological cancers with a pledge to give something back to our community of women.

2016 WE RAISE OUR FIRST £50K for The Eve Appeal thanks to our salon teams and super-generous customers.

THE BEAT STAYS STRONG

2017 CUSTOMERS SAY I LOVE SAKS. We invite customers to share the love when they’re in and post on social media channels, showcasing their visit and tagging us in. They so did and they’ve been more than happy to do the #ILoveSaks since.

JUNE 2019 L’OREAL COLOUR TROPHY opens with a head-turning show by Luke Pluckrose and Saks Art Team. Our creative director pulls out all the stops interpreting Kaleidescopic Colour and Geometric Reflections with hair made of glass and metals.

JULY 2019 SAKS4EVE FUNDRAISING HITS £150,000. Thanks to our brilliant salon teams, customers, friends and families and a whole lotta *crazy* activities we set our sights on £250k for research into gynaecological cancers.

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE

SEPTEMBER 2019 BHBA HALL OF FAME. Claire Denyer of Saks Kings Hill inducted at HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards. One of the highest accolades in our industry, awarded to those who win in the same category three times – Franchisee of the Year in Claire’s case.

MARCH 2020 PANDEMIC. Lockdown happens, during which we all faced unprecedented challenges, but together we stayed strong, supporting each other, keeping in touch with our customers and teams and adapting *everything* on our return. Coming out the other side more united than ever.

YOU BEAUTY!

SEPTEMBER 2020 WE LAUNCH THE LOVE SAKS APP with loyalty treats for our sassy spenders making it super easy for you to book your appointments whilst on the go and bank stamps for treats with your faves too – check it out.

2021 WE CELEBRATE OVER 25 YEARS OF BEAUTY by reaffirming our mantra as we weren’t able to in 2020. We reinforce our proposition with Saks Beauty, Saks Compact and Saks Clinical beauty salon concepts.

MARCH 2021 WE LAUNCH ‘CONVERT TO SAKS’ in recognition of the challenges the industry is facing – an exciting proposition for independent salon owners wanting help with running their businesses, or thinking about an exit plan, making it easy for them to join the Saks network.

BEATING HEART

January 2022. GOOD FOR YOU. Recognising the wellness benefits that a salon visit should bring, we launch our ‘Good for You’ campaign narrative, which goes on to become the foundation of our Saks Values today… watch our current film.

JUNE 2022 – WE CHANNEL A FESTIVAL VIBE with our Saks Gathering & Awards at Wyboston Lakes. Live music on the main stage, stalls, games, butterflies on stilts, mirrored men, street food, dancing and singing in a field. And a big awards ceremony and after-party.

DECEMBER 2022 WE HIT £200k FOR THE EVE APPEAL. CEO Athena Lamnisos says: “Heartfelt thanks to Saks for their incredible support. How amazing to reach £200k through their fantastic fundraising efforts. We are blown away by the passion, enthusiasm and fun they bring to supporting our charity.”

MAJOR RECOGNITION

MAY 2023 CONTRIBUTING ON THE APPRENTICE. When Sir Alan’s people called, we were thrilled to field a hair industry expert in the finale of The Apprentice 2023. Enter Saks Chester salon owner Nicola Hughes to consider Rochelle’s salon and training academy concept as part of Lord Sugar’s panel.

JUNE 2023 WE ROCK AN ENCHANTED GARDEN PARTY with our Saks Gathering & Awards at Wynyard Hall. We’re talking about an uber snazzy country house here. Think Downton Abbey. That’s. Us.

GO BIG OR GO HOME

JULY 2023 SECOND HEADLINE SHOW at L’Oréal Colour Trophy Grand Final 2023 was brilliant and our creative director Luke Pluckrose’s “Limitless’ show was an amplified take on the possibilities for hairdressers and for hair.

SEPTEMBER 2023 BHBA HALL OF FAME for the second time as Nicola Hughes joins Claire Denyer by being inducted into the British Hairdressing Business Awards Hall of Fame.

JANUARY 2024 WE LAUNCH SAKS HUB at Saks HQ. A dedicated space for training sessions of all sizes, meetings, and rooms for hire, right at the heart of our operation.

NIFTY AT FIFTY

OCTOBER 2024 UNAPOLOGETICALLY PROUD of our heritage, kickstarting our 50th celebrations with a big Saks salute to our customers… the OGs from back in the day to next gen newbies of now. Also appreciating product partners, creative collaborators and all the Saks faces for creating hair magic, beauty moves and rocking getting you in.

MAY 2025 SAKS4EVE HITS £240K. Janet King, head of marketing, says “Huge thanks to every Saks4Eve supporter who has helped get to this point. We’re super-proud to be doing our bit. Please chat to your Saks salon about what’s next and help to make change.”

SKYLINE CELEBRATIONS

JUNE 2025 SAKS AWARDS 2025. What. A. Night. The Saks Big 5-Ohh Party & Awards at London’s 12th Knot rooftop bar was the ultimate way to mark 50 years of Saks. Names were named and we danced into the early hours. As always, everyone had a fab time celebrating big wins… and each other.