Rush, the hair and beauty brand that was backed by private equity firm LDC earlier this year, has appointed former Costa Coffee managing director Christopher Rogers as its non-executive chairman, with immediate effect.
Rogers has over 11 years of experience as a main board director of Whitbread, the UK’s largest hospitality company, where he held roles as group finance director and managing director of Costa Coffee, one of the world’s leading coffee chains. He led Costa Coffee’s global expansion, during which time profits increased from GBP69 million to GBP153 million, and global store numbers increased from 2,200 to over 3,200.
Rogers stepped down from his positions as Costa Coffee managing director and executive director for parent company Whitbread in July last year. He is currently a non-executive director of Travis Perkins.
Rogers has joined Rush to help accelerate the national rollout of the brand, as it looks to double its salon count over the next four years. With over 20 years of experience in leadership roles with some of the UK’s biggest names in the leisure and retail sector, he brings considerable knowledge and expertise to the business’ management team, led by founders Andy Phouli and Stell Andrew.
The appointment comes after LDC backed the GBP16 million management buyout of the business in January 2017.
Rush is a family-owned business which currently has over 85 sites, and operates a flagship salon called House of Rush on London’s Piccadilly. As part of the investment, it now plans to open a new Covent Garden academy which will offer training to stylists, and grow the Group’s online hair and beauty e-commerce platform.
Launched over 22 years ago by life-long friends, Andy Phouli and Stell Andrew, Rush started out with a single salon in Wimbledon, recently expanding outside of London and the South with new stores in Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol and York.
The business generates sales of over GBP36 million with profit (EBITDA) of over GBP4 million. It employs over 1,100 stylists and beauticians and serves over 13,000 customers each week.
Rogers will join investment directors Alastair Weinel and Tanya Thompson on the board of the business in a strategic advisory role.
Rogers says: “Rush’s journey to date has seen the business grow from a single salon to become a recognised name on many high streets across the UK. In such a fragmented market, this is a testament to the quality and reputation of the brand. This is an exciting new role for me, and I am looking forward to working with the team to increase the rate and scale of the business’ growth and explore new opportunities to add to its core proposition.”
Phouli says: “When we launched Rush our vision was to grow the business to become a UK-wide brand. To date, we have incrementally increased our footprint across the country and now with a private equity backer on board, we are looking to further build on our success. In Chris, we have someone who has experience at the helm of some of the UK’s biggest leisure and retail brands, and he is perfectly placed to help us achieve our long-term goals.”
Alastair Weinel, investment director, LDC in the South, says: “Chris will provide the additional firepower and experience needed to accelerate Rush’s national rollout and grow the brand, as it looks to consolidate its position as market leader in the hair and beauty sector. Part of our remit is to ensure we partner our portfolio with non-executives who add value and can share relevant experiences and learnings to help build stronger businesses with lasting value.”
