Hairdressers Journal

What Hairdressers Journal does

Hairdressers Journal International (HJ) is a UK-based B2B trade media brand serving the professional hairdressing industry, operated by Professional Beauty Group and headquartered in Wimbledon. Founded in 1882, HJ publishes a print magazine, the hji.co.uk digital platform, and runs the British Hairdressing Awards — an annual accolades franchise running since 1984 that is one of the most recognised honours in the UK sector. The company serves two distinct customer segments: on the demand side, professional stylists and salon owners who consume editorial, attend events, and purchase supplies; on the supply side, haircare, colour, and tooling brands that advertise, sponsor awards and events, and reach the professional audience through HJ's owned channels.

HJ's revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of B2B trade media. Recurring revenue comes from magazine and digital subscriptions/memberships. Transactional and project revenue comes from event ticketing (e.g., the Salon Growth Summit 2026 at £57.50-£300+ per ticket), awards ceremony attendance and category sponsorship (British Hairdressing Awards, with Modern Barber Awards integrating from 2027), and large-format trade shows (Salon International, biennial). Sponsored editorial and brand partnerships — including a long-running headline sponsorship by Schwarzkopf Professional — form a second major revenue pillar. The Salon Supplies e-commerce channel extends HJ into B2B retail distribution of professional supplies, providing a higher-velocity revenue stream decoupled from advertising cycles.

Operationally, HJ runs as a compact team of 11-50 employees supporting the full portfolio of editorial, events, awards, and commerce. The underlying technology stack is conventional web/CMS publishing plus standard e-commerce, with no disclosed proprietary AI, data, or platform technology. Competitive positioning rests on brand heritage, the awards franchise, owned event distribution, and an integrated multi-channel relationship with both stylists and brand advertisers — a structure that creates switching costs for sponsors and advertisers that depend on HJ for audience access.

Name

Hairdressers Journal

Legal name

Hairdressers Journal International

Website

https://hji.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hairdressers Journal International is a UK B2B trade media brand serving professional hairdressers and salons with editorial content, the British Hairdressing Awards, owned events including Salon International, and a Salon Supplies e-commerce channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Monthly and annual digital/print magazine subscriptions providing industry news, trends, business advice, and creative content for professional hairdressers.
2. Event Tickets - Salon Growth Summit: One-day and two-day entrance tickets for the Salon Growth Summit (professional event for salon/spa owners and senior managers), with combined tickets bundling awards entry.
3. British Hairdressing Business Awards Attendance: Paid ceremony attendance tickets and table bookings for BHBA events. No charge to enter awards themselves.
4. Digital Membership: Website membership offering exclusive content, image galleries, and member-only features including newsletter delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Hairdressers Journal International (HJ) is a UK-based B2B media publication serving the professional hairdressing industry through a monthly print and digital magazine, the hji.co.uk editorial website, and live events. It produces industry news, hair trends, technical tutorials, salon business advice, and salon interior features, and operates the British Hairdressing Awards, British Hairdressing Business Awards, the Salon Growth Summit, and Salon International as flagship award and event programmes.

Product overview

Hairdressers Journal International is a media publication platform for the UK professional hairdressing industry, offering a print and digital magazine, website editorial content, awards programs, events, and subscription services. The core offering is the Hairdressers Journal Magazine supplemented by the hji.co.uk website providing continuous industry coverage. Key products include the British Hairdressing Awards (sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional) and British Hairdressing Business Awards as premier award programs, the Salon Growth Summit as an annual business conference, Salon International as a trade exhibition, the HJ Extensions Competition, the HJ in Conversation podcast, and the HJ Insider Survey research program. The platform also offers membership subscriptions providing access to digital content and exclusive features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• British Hairdressing Awards: Prestigious annual awards program recognizing the most talented names in the hairdressing industry, launched in 1984 and sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional
• British Hairdressing Business Awards
• Salon Growth Summit
• HJ Magazine

Products and services

• Hairdressers Journal Magazine Monthly print and digital publication for UK professional hairdressers covering industry news, hair trends, business advice, and creative inspiration.
• HJ Website (hji.co.uk)
• HJ Membership & Subscriptions Digital and print subscription providing access to magazine content, exclusive member features, image galleries, and newsletter delivery for hairdressing professionals.
• British Hairdressing Awards Annual awards programme sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional recognising outstanding hairdressing talent across regional, specialist, and national categories. Ceremony held at JW Marriott Grosvenor House London.
• British Hairdressing Business Awards Annual business awards celebrating the smartest business brains and most innovative salons and teams in the UK professional hairdressing industry, with paid ceremony attendance at Royal Lancaster London.
• Salon Growth Summit Annual business conference for salon and spa owners and senior managers, featuring main-stage speakers, business strategy roundtables, networking lounges, and brand showcases. Connected with 1,000+ salon and spa owners.
• Salon International Major biennial trade exhibition for the professional hair and beauty industry featuring brand showcases, education sessions, and competitions such as the Extensions Competition.

Quantifiable outcome

• The UK beauty and personal care industry contributed £28.3bn to the UK economy in 2025, with beauty services (including hairdressing) generating £5.7bn direct GDP.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Schwarzkopf ProfessionalflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSchwarzkopf Professional is the title sponsor of HJ's British Hairdressing Awards and British Hairdressing Business Awards. The partnership provides brand visibility across all awards collateral, ceremonies, and associated editorial content. Schwarzkopf Professional sponsored awards categories include Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year.
• Schwarzkopf ProfessionalflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary sponsor of British Hairdressing Awards (since launch in 1984) and British Hairdressing Business Awards. Category sponsorship includes Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year and Customer Service Award. Brand featured across all awards marketing and ceremonies.
• Takara BelmontcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTakara Belmont is featured in sponsored editorial content on the HJ website covering salon furniture, styling chairs, and Japanese head spa equipment. Content includes sponsored articles on sustainability, backwash experiences, and product spotlights for the Cadilla, Harp, and Choco styling chairs. Takara Belmont also offers finance lease schemes promoted through HJ.
• Takara BelmontcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTakara Belmont is featured in sponsored product spotlight articles on the HJ website. Katie Fielder, National Sales Manager at Takara Belmont (UK), provides expert commentary on styling chairs and salon equipment. Content covers Cadilla, Cadilla M, Harp, and Choco styling chairs.
• Wella ProfessionalscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWella Professionals partnered with HJ to create sponsored content on blonde glazing techniques featuring Zoë Irwin, UK colour trend expert. Sponsored article covers Wella Professionals' Illumina Color product range and glazing techniques.
• ghdminorGTM or Marketing Partnerghd (good hair day) featured in sponsored product content on HJ website, including ghd chronos max wide plate styler launch coverage.
• Remi CachetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRemi Cachet sponsors HJ's Extensions Competition, including HJ's Extensions Specialist of the Year awards (Commercial Look and Creative/Avant Garde categories). Award ceremony held at Salon International on the HJ stage.
• Dyson ProfessionalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDyson Professional sponsors the Salon Design Award category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• Alan HowardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlan Howard sponsors the Salon Team of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• GoldwellminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoldwell sponsors the Manager of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• L'Oréal Professionnel ParisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerL'Oréal Professionnel Paris sponsors the Salon of the Year 2 category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• VagarominorGTM or Marketing PartnerVagaro sponsors the Salon of the Year 1 category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• Revlon Professional UK & IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRevlon Professional UK & Ireland sponsors the Salon Stylist of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• AUTHENTIC BEAUTY CONCEPTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAUTHENTIC BEAUTY CONCEPT sponsors the Sustainable Salon of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• Blonde SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlonde Solutions sponsors the Assistant of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• Paul MitchellminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPaul Mitchell sponsors the Independent Salon Business Newcomer category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• Great LengthsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGreat Lengths sponsors the Franchisee of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• Modern BarberminorGTM or Marketing PartnerModern Barber sponsors the Barbershop/Grooming Salon of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards. The awards now incorporate the Modern Barber Awards.
• Wella ProfessionalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWella Professionals sponsors the Educator of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• GLOWWAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGLOWWA sponsors the Innovation of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• EXO-GROW by Dp DermaceuticalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEXO-GROW by Dp Dermaceuticals sponsors the Marketing Campaign of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Business Awards.
• evominorGTM or Marketing Partnerevo (hair products) featured in editorial interview content with Tom Smith, International Colour Director of evo, in HJ's Colour Notes series.
• Professional Beauty GroupflagshipOthersHJ is owned and operated by Professional Beauty Group, a UK-based B2B publishing and events company serving the professional beauty and hairdressing industry. Professional Beauty Group operates multiple industry events including Professional Beauty London, Professional Beauty Hair Ireland, and the Salon Growth Summit.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Salon Today: US B2B publication focused on salon ownership and business management, anchored by the Salons of the Year awards. Directly comparable editorial positioning on the business-of-salon content that drives HJ's British Hairdressing Business Awards audience.
• Estetica Magazine: International B2B hairdressing publication with editions across multiple countries. Comparable editorial coverage of hair trends, techniques, and industry news with similar audience of professional stylists and salon owners.
• Professional Beauty: UK-based B2B magazine and event series for the professional beauty industry. Sister publication also operated by Professional Beauty Group, covering beauty salons, spas, and therapists - directly parallel to HJ's coverage of the professional hairdressing industry with shared parent and audience overlap.
• American Salon: Established US B2B magazine for professional hairdressers and salon owners. Comparable audience and editorial coverage of trends, techniques, and business management for the salon industry.
• Modern Salon: US trade publication for salon professionals and owners delivering news, education, trends, and the Modern Salon Awards. Operates with a magazine/digital/events mix highly comparable to HJ's platform serving the professional salon industry.
• Beauty Launchpad: US-based B2B magazine for the professional beauty industry covering hair, makeup, and nails. Overlaps with HJ's salon industry focus while extending into adjacent beauty professional categories.
• Behind the Chair: Leading US B2B publication serving professional hairdressers with magazine, digital content, awards (BTC Stylist of the Year), and events. Directly comparable to HJ in audience (stylists and salon owners), editorial scope, and B2B sponsorship model.

Emerging players

• Hairbrained: Online community and digital publication for professional hairdressers. Comparable audience of stylists and salon professionals but with a different delivery model (digital-first community) versus HJ's magazine-and-events mix.

Broad incumbents

• Cosmetics Business: Global B2B publisher covering the broader cosmetics and personal care industry. Overlaps with HJ on the brand/manufacturer audience but extends well beyond hairdressing into skincare, makeup, and packaging.
• Beauty Independent: B2B news and analysis platform for the beauty and wellness industry. Adjacent trade media with comparable brand-sponsor advertising model, though coverage is broader beauty industry rather than hairdressing-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hji
• Instagraminstagram.com/hairdressersjournal
• Facebookfacebook.com/HairdressersJournal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hairdressers Journal