The man is a babe-magnet. “Hi, Toni,†shout the gorgeous women in Toni Mascolo’s hairdressing academy as we walk up the stairs. They turn and wave in ranks from the lines of chairs where exhibition cuts are being demonstrated.
Then a glamourpuss all in black bursts through the door to give him an excited fashion kiss – mwah, mwah. They hug. She towers above him.
Mascolo gives her a gravelly-voiced pep talk, ending with something like “We’re gonna make lotsa money.â€
They laugh. Blimey. Mascolo is 66 years old, not much over 5ft 2in tall, and shiny bald, so he clearly has something – that something being Toni & Guy www.toniandguy.com/ , probably the world’s biggest high-street hairdresser brand, and one of the most enduring family firms. He is, in short, Britain’s king of hairdressers.
Family firms are hard enough to hold together at the best of times, so let’s tug a forelock to Mascolo and his four brothers, three of whom oversee Toni & Guy in America. The British and American divisions demerged six years ago but the brothers still coordinate the brand between them.
As for Italian-born Toni, his empire grows by the year, across Europe into the Far East and Australia. He has also steered his Toni & Guy salons, ubiquitous on most high streets, through three economic downturns. Whatever’s coming next in Britain, he is confident he can cope. Read on.
