A Stafford-based hair salon group has trained hundreds of apprentices and expanded its education team after securing a £75,000 business loan.
Francesco Group said the funding from ART Business Loans had helped it strengthen apprenticeship delivery across its network following the Covid pandemic.
The business, which has its headquarters in Stafford and operates 35 salons across the West Midlands, secured the loan in 2021 to invest in its apprenticeship delivery team at its Birmingham academy.
Since then, the company has expanded its team of educators to 13 across its academies and supported the training and development of 600 apprentices.
Francesco Group runs training academies in Stafford, Birmingham and Poole, and has increased its network of external salon partners delivering hair professional apprenticeships from 120 to 141 since 2021.
The company said developing talent from within remained central to its business model, with 14 of its current franchisees having started their careers as trainees or apprentices.
Several members of the education team also began as apprentices before progressing into training and teaching roles.
Richard Stenson, finance associate at Francesco Group, said: “The funding from ART Business Loans in 2021 gave us the platform we needed to invest in our people at exactly the right time, supporting our ability to work with new salons across the West Midlands. Coming out of Covid, we needed to rebuild and push forward.
“Good training has been our founder’s mantra for 50 years, and it will always be at the heart of everything we do. We grow our own and like to watch them build their careers with us.”
Martin Edmonds, manager at ART Business Loans, said: “It’s been a pleasure to support Francesco Group and watch the business grow since 2021.
“Richard and the team have shown real commitment to their apprentices and to the communities they serve across the West Midlands and beyond.”
