Good Hair Day

ghd hair (ghd)
Privately held
Industry Hair styling
Founded 2001
Founder Martin Penny, Gary Douglas and Robert Powls
Headquarters Bridgewater Place, Leeds, United Kingdom
Revenue Increase ₤50,360,000 (2006)
Increase ₤9,600,000 (2006)
Parent Lion Capital LLP
Website www.ghdhair.com

Good Hair Day, commonly known as ghd, is a manufacturer of hair care products based in Leeds, UK.[1][2] ghd leads the market for hair straightening irons and is sold in over 50,000 salons worldwide.[3][4] The company was the first hair tool sponsor of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and is endorsed by celebrities including Victoria Beckham, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jennifer Aniston.[5][6]

Company Foundation & History

Martin Penny, Gary Douglas, and Robert Powls founded ghd in 2001.[7][8] The three collaborated to buy the rights to a hair straightening iron from a South Korean inventor.[9] The brand quickly took off organically, and the company did not even begin advertising until two years after its launch.[10][11] By then, hair salons and word of mouth carried ghd to £12 million, against a forecast of between £3 million and £4 million.[9]

In 2004, ghd entered the North American market, bringing its total worldwide sales generating £37 million in revenue.[12] The Jemella Group, which owned the ghd brand, was bought by Lloyds Development Capital for £55 million in 2006.[7] It was sold 11 months later to Montagu Private Equity for £160 million.[13] Lion Capital, a British private equity firm, purchased ghd in 2013 for approximately £300 million.[14]

By 2013, the company had sales over £150 million, more than doubling since 2007, selling over 2 million styling irons through 50,000 salons worldwide.[4]

Products

In March 2013, ghd launched the "Eclipse" hair straightener, which uses six sensors in the plates to maintain a constant heat of 185 degrees celsius, a temperature ghd claims is the optimum temperature for styling results.[15] The consistent temperature reduces the time to style hair, particularly coarse hair that may previously taken multiple run throughs.[16] The Daily Mail called the Eclipse "The Rolls-Royce of irons".[17]

Advertising and sponsorship

ghd launched its first advertising campaign in 2003, as the sponsor of the British reality TV show The Salon.[18] The company has also featured prominently on Australia’s Next Top Model.[19]

In 2009, ghd ran a popular series of advertisements titled ‘Twisted Fairytales', including depictions of characters such as Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella with the tagline "You can do anything with your hair".[20][21]

Singer Katy Perry was named the face of ghd in 2011.[22][23] In October 2011, ghd launched the "Scarlet Collection" with Perry as the face of the campaign, and photos shot by renowned photographer David LaChapelle.[24]

ghd has partnered with Victoria's Secret for a multi-year sponsorship of its annual fashion show.[25] The company is the first ever hair tool sponsor for a Victoria's Secret fashion show.[5]

Endorsements

The brand has attracted endorsements from celebrities, with Victoria Beckham, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, and Jennifer Aniston being prominent users of ghd products.[6]

Charity

Since 2004, ghd has raised approximately £2.5 million for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity.[26] The company produces a limited edition pink hair iron every year, with £10 of the sale price being donated in support the charity.[27] In 2010, ghd partnered with charity "Mom It Forward" and SafeHouse Denver, a women’s shelter that serves victims of domestic violence and their children, in an event at Sephora.[28]

References

  1. ↑ Coleman, Claire (May 22, 2013). "Are £200 hair straighteners as slick as they claim? FEMAIL puts them to the test". Daily Mail.
  2. ↑ "Hair fashion brand ghd opens new Leeds city cente HQ". Yorkshire Evening Post. October 1, 2008.
  3. ↑ "ghd's straight to the top". Manufacturing Today. January 31, 2008.
  4. 1 2 Ebrahimi, Helia. "£300m swoop gives Lion a Good Hair Day". Telegraph.
  5. 1 2 Salapatek, Lauren (October 21, 2013). "ghd Announces Sponsorship of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show". SalonToday.com.
  6. 1 2 Quinn, James (2006-03-21). [url=http://www.aubrandshop.com/pink-ghd "ghd straightener pink as £55m talks begin"] Check |url= value (help). London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  7. 1 2 Quinn, James (March 21, 2006). "Good hair day for GHD as £55m talks begin". Daily Telegraph.
  8. ↑ "ghd: The Story Behind the Brand". Trend Luxury.
  9. 1 2 "King tong: the man who brought GHD straighteners to Britain". Times Online. March 22, 2008.
  10. ↑ Waithe, Tony (January 2, 2012). "A Fantastic Business Model". Sunzu.com.
  11. ↑ "History of ghd". ghdcompare.com. August 2, 2012.
  12. ↑ "GHD sets sights on U.S.". Fashion News.
  13. ↑ Quinn, James (July 17, 2007). "Montagu smooths way to Jemella buyout". Daily Telegraph.
  14. ↑ Plimmer, Gil (February 10, 2013). "Lion Capital acquires GHD". Financial Times.
  15. ↑ Keats, Amanda. "The ghd eclipse beats other hair straighteners with new design". Yahoo!.
  16. ↑ Parkinson, Nikki. "DOES YOUR HAIR NEED THE NEW GHD ECLIPSE STYLER?". Styling You.
  17. ↑ COLEMAN, CLAIRE. "Are £200 hair straighteners as slick as they claim? FEMAIL puts them to the test". Daily Mail.
  18. ↑ "Ghd strikes sponsorship deal with Channel 4". Marketing Week. August 28, 2003.
  19. ↑ "The Reason Your Hair Still Waves and Kinks Inappropriately After Using Your ghd . . .". FruityBeauty.com. June 19, 2008.
  20. ↑ Golding, Amy. "Ghd launches twisted fairytales ad campaign". Marketing Magazine.
  21. ↑ "GHD LAUNCHES 'TWISTED FAIRYTALES'". mcIntyres.
  22. ↑ "Katy Perry for ghd Scarlett Collection". Glamour.
  23. ↑ Krupnick, Ellie (December 5, 2011). "Katy Perry Poses for Snow White-Themed Ad Campaign". Huffington Post.
  24. ↑ Clarke, Cameron. "Katy Perry fronts ghd's Scarlet Collection campaign". The Drum.
  25. ↑ Amodio, Jessica (October 17, 2013). "GHD Partners with Victoria's Secret". Women's Wear Daily.
  26. ↑ "Corporate Partners: GHD". Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  27. ↑ "Support Breakthrough Breast Cancer with ghd". Handbag.com. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  28. ↑ Johnson, Amber. "Mama’s Night Out at Sephora Redefines a “GHD” (Good Hair Day)". Mile High Mamas.

External links

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