Drive to boost two north-east businesses with six figure investment

25/10/2019
Husband and wife team, James and Rebecca Carr, who run Kintore Car Sales and Rebecca Carr Hair Salon

TWO Kintore-based businesses are set to more than double in size and create around 25 jobs with ambitious six-figure expansion plans in the Aberdeenshire village.

Husband and wife team, James and Rebecca Carr, who run Kintore Car Sales and Rebecca Carr Hair Salon, are expanding both businesses to enhance their offering in the local area.

Mr Carr has moved his car sales and valeting firm to a two-acre site adjacent to his other facility which has quadrupled the size of his business footprint, allowing him to add a new servicing division to the business.  The move has already seen the headcount increase to five with plans to double staff numbers to support the continuing expansion of the seven-year-old business.

Mrs Carr, who launched her salon in 2016 which has 14 employees and more than 4,500 clients, is set to expand into a purpose-designed, 1200sq ft building on the site of the previous car sales courtyard, in addition to continuing to operate her current salon in the village’s Midmill Parade.

The new venture, Rebecca Carr Residence, will add a beauty lounge to the services, with the venue set to include private beauty rooms, in addition to pedicure stations, a nail and brow bar, make-up artist station and a retail gift section.  The ‘Residence’ will also boast a café with outdoor space which will be run by fellow local business, From Bakery Lane, and will also boast private customer parking.

The renovation, which is due to complete by November 2019, will more than double the size of Mrs Carr’s business and create a further 20 jobs in the Aberdeenshire village. 

The couple, who also live in the north-east village, are committed to investing in their businesses and say that when the opportunities arose the timing was right for both to expand.

Mr Carr said: “It was the right time to galvanise the brand as we have worked hard on our reputation since launching and this has given us the confidence to grow to meet our clientele requirements.

“We are focussed on continuing to invest in the business and expand our services and the expansion has allowed us to add to our client offering, increase our car stock and add a six-car indoor showroom with reception and waiting area.  The car valeting can now host up to 12 cars at any one time and we’ve added in a repairs division.”

Mrs Carr, who won an emerging entrepreneur business award and a global hairdressing award last year, said: “I had initially planned to open additional salons across the north-east but with sixty percent of my clientele travelling to Kintore to come to the salon, it made business sense to expand in the village as this allows me to manage it in one location and ensure our customer service remains first class.

“Since launching, we have continued to see ongoing growth and this is a superb opportunity to expand the business and bring more talent to Aberdeenshire.  We have already had to open six days and late nights to accommodate customer demand, therefore, the new Residence will run alongside the existing Rebecca Carr Hair Salon, so we can service more clients and enhance the customer experience.  We work and live in the village, so we really wanted to create a hub, a meeting place, where people can come to enjoy time together and the ‘Residence’ will do just that.”

The couple say the investment is a natural progression for their businesses and a commitment to continuing to support the local community.  The new car sales and valeting business is already operational having been completed recently, and work has now begun on redeveloping the building to house the Rebecca Carr Residence

Alice Lane, who launched From Bakery Lane four years ago, has been running the business from her parents’ home but will now move her entire business to the Kintore venue on completion.  The 20 jobs being created at Rebecca Carr Residence will include 8-10 positions to support the Kintore café venture.

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