Birmingham hair artists in running for prestige award

Salon group named in top awards’ Business Thinker category.

Hairdressing is the biggest, most powerful sector in the £28 billion-a-year British beauty industry. Gavin Mills, owner of Bad Apple Hair salons, has demonstrated he’s not only a leader in his Midlands and Liverpool locations but a hair industry star, beating off nationwide competition to earn a place in the final of the prestigious Most Wanted Awards.

Gavin’s inspiring story of entrepreneurship saw him join Bad Apple in 2014 with one salon and ten employees – fast forward six years and the brand is nine-salons strong, including two innovative partnerships with TopShop, more in the pipeline, 38,000 loyal clients and more than seventy well paid staff who enjoy fantastic employment opportunities and second to none training (including a £2,000 annual budget each to spend on education), benefits (including income protection, life insurance and a 24/7 virtual GP service) and support.

With COVID-19 simultaneously triggering a huge shift in employment globally and the recognition of hairdressing as a previously undervalued essential skill, salons like Bad Apple will play a vital role in our ‘new normal’ communities.

Presented by leading industry magazine Creative HEAD and twenty years old in 2020, Most Wanted recognises the most accomplished individuals, teams and salons leading the way in British and Irish hairdressing – the talents impressing with their creative and commercial skills, building business through inspirational teamwork and playing a vital role in their local communities.

Gavin is one of five finalists in the Business Thinker category, earning a place at the Most Wanted Grand Final on Sunday 29th November at Printworks – the atmospheric space that once delivered the Metro and Evening Standard newspapers to London. Here, 750 hairdressing VIPs, fashion A-listers, leading talent agents, business magnates and influential beauty and fashion editors will gather to crown the hairdressing stars of 2020.

Catherine Handcock, publisher of Creative HEAD, explained, “Even in this very unorthodox year the magnificent response from entrants was mind-blowing. We’re so proud of everyone who took the decision to go for MWIT – and especially to these finalists, who represent such exciting times ahead for British and Irish hairdressing.”

A full list of finalists can be seen here.

Bad Apple Hair has salons in Birmingham, Walsall, Solihull, Lichfield, Stafford, Bullring, Stafford-Upon-Avon, Liverpool One, Wolverhampton. Details can be found here.