A “Deliveroo-style” mobile barber business in Dorset has expanded its operations with the addition of a new “barber shop van” to its fleet.
Grade 92 has two bricks and mortar shops in Bournemouth and launched its first converted van during the national lockdowns prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The business said the service proved so popular that following its second mobile salon hitting the road six months ago, a third one - complete with barber’s chair, lighting and even a refreshments fridge - is now up and running in Wiltshire.
Customers book appointments via an app which asks for their location and the style of haircut they would like. It works out the barber’s travelling time and comes up with a suggested time slot, which can be amended, and a price.
Niall Coles, a partner in the firm, operates Grade 92’s Wiltshire service, visiting homes, offices, pubs and at a care home.
Mr Coles said: “People really like it because it is convenient. “They don’t have to waste their evenings and weekends driving into town and trying to park, I can just pull up in their street or their place of work in their lunch break or after work.
“It’s becoming really popular with people living out in the villages where there isn’t a barber. The other day I was in the village of Broad Chalke near Salisbury and I did eight cuts.”
Grade 92 charges around £5 more for haircuts in its mobile barber shops compared to those in a regular salon.
Mr Coles said: “A few years ago you’d never dream that people would be happy to pay extra for a coffee and a sandwich to be delivered to their house rather than walk in and get it themselves but it’s all changing and this is just the next step.
“Our customers are really happy to pay extra for that little bit of convenience and I think that’s the way forward.”
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