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ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

Employment Rights Bill - ACT and Bira answer your questions

28 Apr 2025

The Labour Government’s new Employment Rights Bill is set to be in force this year and the new regulations will impact high street retailers up and down the country.
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ACT parent company Bira welcomes Chancellor's action on unfair trade practices

25 Apr 2025

ACT parent company Bira welcomes the Chancellor's announcement of plans to create a level playing field for British businesses against unfair international trade practices.
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ACT parent company Bira responds to Prime Minister's 'Bobbies on the Beat' plan

11 Apr 2025

Bira has cautiously welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement this week on plans to put 'thousands of Bobbies back on the Beat' with a new neighbourhood policing guarantee.
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ACT parent company Bira warns of 'Atrocious April' as shop price inflation rises

1 Apr 2025

Bira has voiced serious concerns over the latest figures from the BRC-NIQ Shop Price Index for March 2025.
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ACT parent company Bira says Spring Statement fails to address high street crisis

26 Mar 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said the Chancellor's Spring Statement delivered today has failed to address the "perfect storm" of cost pressures facing independent retailers across the UK,... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira outlines key priorities ahead of Spring Budget

25 Mar 2025

ACT parent company Bira has outlined its key priorities ahead of the Chancellor's Spring Budget statement.
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Bristol-based cycling charity Life Cycle now offering Cytech training courses

20 Mar 2025

Cytech, the internationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for bicycle mechanics, have partnered with Bristol-based charity Life Cycle to offer a range of bicycle mechanic... Read more…

High street 'death knell' – indie retailers, including cycle shops, shutting doors ahead of April tax rises

12 Mar 2025

Towns and cities across Britain are already seeing a wave of closures as independent businesses shut their doors ahead of April’s triple tax burden, including those in the cycling retail... Read more…

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'Pay-as-you-feel' barber wins hairdressing award

Posted on in Business News

A man who offers "pay-as-you-feel" haircuts has been named the UK's best barber.

Donal O'Leary, who works at the Apothecary 87 salon in the Doncaster suburb of Balby, won the Barber of the Year category at the 2024 UK Hair and Beauty Awards.

haircutMr O'Leary said he provided a vital service to people during the cost-of-living crisis by only charging them what they could afford. He was "in shock" after hearing he had won the title.

He added: "I never expected to win. It's something I've been striving for for a while." Mr O'Leary has been a barber for eight years and was encouraged to enter the contest after speaking to his girlfriend and family.

"I've always wanted to enter a competition like this," he said.

"But I've never had the courage to do it."

Haircuts with no fixed price are available once a week to both men and women.

Mr O'Leary added: "With how hard times are at the moment with the cost of living, we thought it would be great to give everyone the chance to have a haircut, make them look and feel good."

Customers include people who have been showering at gyms and sports centres because they were struggling to pay utility bills. Women, who often have to pay more for styling at female-centric salons, have also used the service.

"For some it's really been a massive thing," Mr O'Leary said.

"Being able to get a haircut for free or as much as they can afford is really beneficial."

Mr O'Leary learned to cut hair while he was a student at Trinity Western University in Canada, where he played for the football team.

He added that the pay-as-you-feel haircuts were "good for Doncaster".

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