This story is sponsored by Allertons.
A hairdressing brand due to open new beauty rooms in Harrogate this month is looking to recruit more staff across all its branches.
Allertons’ flagship salon is the highest rated in Leeds, and it also has concessions in John Lewis stores in Leeds and Nottingham, with a third due to open in Southampton in November. The Harrogate salon is due to open its brand-new beauty rooms by the end of October.
The company currently has 19 vacancies for hairdressers and beauticians, as well as six client concierge roles.
Nick Nicola, who founded the company in 2014, said there was a constant requirement for hairdressers and beauticians, but that they needed to be attuned to the company’s ethos:
“We’re looking for people who want to look after their clients. It’s not so much about the service you provide – that’s going to be excellent anyway – it’s more about how you make people feel. We want people who will calm and pamper our clients.”
Allertons gives 30% of the profit generated for the company to the person who generated it, so a good hairdresser can earn up to £40,000 a year.
In addition, employees receive health insurance, funded training on new techniques and equipment, free hairdressing and treatments, and a ‘friends and family’ discount. Those working in one of the concessions also get discount at John Lewis.
Nick said it was important that candidates were able to ditch their ego and maintain an “old school” approach to customer service:
“Some salons promote certain personalities above others. That’s not us – we want to take a sledgehammer to all of that. We’re not about ego and flashiness, which is why we get on so well with John Lewis.
“We want to debunk that image of the hairdresser who judges clients and thinks they know best what their client should have. People come to us because we listen when they tell us what they want. We’re not fashion and trend-led – we’re 100% customer-led.”
More information about the vacancies available can be found on Allertons’ website.
If you’d like to apply for a vacancy at any of Allertons’ salons, email nn@allertonsonline.com, or call 0113 359 3420.
Hiring in Harrogate now: Why we are proud to work for Bettys
This story is sponsored by the Bettys and Taylors Group.
A number of highly sought-after career opportunities have become available at Harrogate’s most famous employer.
Bettys is looking to fill a number of vacancies in the kitchen at Bettys Harrogate as well as having both front of house and back of house roles available within the four other branches located in York, Ilkley, Harlow Carr and Northallerton
New recruits can expect a competitive salary, pension, a fantastic working environment and excellent training.
One person who has already taken advantage of that offer is Cameron Latimer, who is a catering assistant at Bettys’ flagship branch in Harrogate. The 21-year-old left King James’s School in Knaresborough to join another company in the industry, before moving to Bettys in 2021. He said:
“The training is very thorough. Over the last 18 months I’ve really progressed, both in my job and as a person. I’m more outgoing and feel I can take control in the kitchen and lead others. I’ve been trained on every section and now specialise in preparing the hot food. In September I was promoted to shift leader, and later I aim to become a team leader.”
Colleague Roisin Roddam, 24, has already progressed even further. She started at Bettys straight from school and has worked her way up to become deputy catering manager at the RHS Harlow Carr branch. She said:
“Bettys really look after their staff and there’s loads of opportunities for career progression. There are loads of benefits, and the training is really good too. It’s very practical and hands-on, and you even get one-to-one training, so you’ve always got someone there helping you.”
Roisin Roddam, deputy catering manager at Bettys’ RHS Harlow Carr branch.
Cameron said:
“I’d definitely recommend working at Bettys. The conditions are second to none and the managers are very supportive. The staff are all friendly too – we’re all one team, front and back of house – and if something needs doing, we’ll all pitch in and sort it out.”
Asked what advice she would give to prospective applicants, Roisin said:
“Just apply. It’s an amazing company to work for, and there are lots of opportunities to move upwards or sideways, for example into the bakery or the Taylors factory.
“Everyone gets on really well. I really like all my team, and we do a lot of socialising outside work, so we get to know everyone very well. It’s absolutely brilliant.”
New apprenticeship opportunity in Bettys Café Tearooms
Bettys has this week launched its new apprenticeship programme in their café Tearooms, which is available for current employees and external candidates to apply for now.
There are Catering Assistant/Chef apprenticeships positions in Harrogate, York and Northallerton. There is also a Catering Team Leader apprenticeship available in Harrogate.
Successful candidates will benefit from the opportunity to attend York College one day a week during term time for a year. They will be enlisted to study the Production Chef Level 2 and Senior Production Chef Level 3 apprenticeship programmes.
An iconic Harrogate brand
Bettys was founded in 1919 by Swiss confectioner Frederick Belmont and is now the most famous name in Yorkshire’s hospitality industry. More than a century later, it is still an independent family firm and continues to win numerous awards, including Food & Travel Magazine’s Specialist Retailer of the Year earlier this year.
Along with Taylors of Harrogate, the company behind the iconic Yorkshire Tea brand, it is part of Bettys & Taylors Group, which employs more than 1,500 people, most of them in Harrogate. This month, Bettys & Taylors won one of the first ever King’s Awards for Enterprise for International Trade.
Find out more:
If you’re interested in applying for a job at any of Bettys’ branches, check the vacancies page on the company website.
National café-bar chain is coming to Ripon
A branch of the café-bar chain Lounge is expected to open in Ripon this autumn.
Loungers, which owns the Lounge and Cosy Club brands, is currently refurbishing the building on Market Place formerly occupied by NatWest.
It is next to Ripon Town Hall, and the planned opening in September is set to create 25 jobs.
Sophia Stancer, community coordinator for the Loungers group, told the Stray Ferret:
“Recruitment is an ongoing challenge within the hospitality industry.
“At present, we are aiming for September for opening. All our vacancies are, or will, be listed on the Lounge website.
“We’d love to encourage local people who know and love their community to apply – as community really is at the very heart of what we do.”
The Lounge will have a distinguished neighbour in Ripon Town Hall
Loungers was founded by friends Dave Reid, Alex Reilley and Jake Bishop, who wanted to create a neighbourhood café-bar that they would want to go into themselves.
The trio, all of whom had previous experience of working in the restaurant and bar trade, opened their first venture in Bristol in 2002.
They describe the Lounge brand as “a café/bar combining elements of a restaurant, British pub and coffee shop culture”.
Now the group has approximately 150 restaurants and cafés in England and Wales.
The Loungers group was valued at £185million before its listing on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market, which lists smaller growing businesses.
The hospitality sector was hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown in March 2020 and all of the group’s restaurants were temporarily closed.
Loungers secured a £15million revolving credit facility from its banks, designed to assist the company during the covid-19 disruption.