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Hue Hairdressing - Source: ONE News -
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Pure colour, beautiful hair - that's the motto of Hue, a chain of colour-only salons that is carving out a new niche in the hairdressing industry.
Founder Jenny Aitken started Hue after seeing a gap in the market between at-home dye jobs and full salon colouring.
"There were only two options for colouring your hair, going to the salon or doing it yourself," she told TV ONE's NZI Business.
"Doing it yourself, you don't get the best results. Going to salons is really expensive and it takes a long time."
Aitken said the idea first gained traction after she attended a franchising seminar.
Although Hue is not a franchise, Aitken said that the seminar was a starting point for advice and financial support.
To get things going Aitken sought a grant from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and took on two business partners.
Aitken, who is not from a hairdressing background, said she had some concerns about entering a new industry but was confident to try some thing different.
"When you don't know the rules, you don't have to run with them," she said.
Since opening two years ago, Hue now has four branches in Auckland, and with so many women colouring their hair the business is growing.
Aitken is now looking at taking the model to other markets, including Australia and the UK.
