What Chris & Sons does

Chris and Sons Limited is a privately held, family-owned UK distributor and e-commerce retailer serving the professional hair, beauty, barbering, tattoo, and salon furniture trade. Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Enfield, the company distributes more than 480 brands across roughly 20,000 SKUs to a fragmented B2B customer base of independent salons, barbershops, tattoo studios, spas, and clinics across the UK and select European markets, alongside direct B2C sales to individual professionals and consumers. The catalogue spans haircare and colour (Color Wow, Olaplex, ghd, Dyson, Amika, JVN, Innersense, Schwarzkopf), professional electrical tools (JRL, BaByliss Pro, Wahl), tattoo machines and supplies (Critical Tattoo, Bishop Rotary, PRIME, Tattoo Proton), beauty and nail ranges, and salon furniture from REM, Takara Belmont, and Mirplay. Distribution is delivered through three London cash-and-carry sites, a 6,000+ square foot European-largest showroom in Enfield, and a Shopify-powered online storefront offering Click & Collect, loyalty points, Klarna instalments, and free UK delivery over £30.

The technology stack is a standard Shopify commerce platform with off-the-shelf payment processing (Klarna, ex-VAT pricing with 20% VAT added at checkout), delivery integrations (APC, FedEx, Royal Mail), and a Shopify-native loyalty rewards programme. No proprietary AI/ML, public API, or developer platform is disclosed; the company operates as a traditional distributor-retailer rather than a software-enabled commerce business. Physical infrastructure — including Europe's largest professional salon furniture showroom — combines with the Shopify storefront to support both walk-in trade trade purchasing and nationwide ecommerce fulfilment.

Revenue is generated through three channels: B2C product sales via the Shopify website at unit pricing (ex-VAT), B2B wholesale distribution of branded professional supplies into the UK and European trade, and physical cash-and-carry retail in London supported by the Enfield showroom. Customer acquisition is largely driven by organic social media (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, X), influencer/brand-ambassador collaborations, a content blog, and email newsletters. The company has no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors, and ownership remains with the founding family — a structural feature that both stabilises long-term strategy and constrains the capital available for accelerated expansion.

Name

Chris & Sons

Legal name

Chris and Sons Limited

Website

https://chrisandsons.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Chris and Sons Limited is a UK-based, family-owned distributor and e-commerce retailer founded in 1967, supplying professional salons, barbers, tattoo studios, spas, and clinics with 480+ brands and 20,000+ products across hair, beauty, barbering, tattoo, and salon furniture categories via wholesale, cash-and-carry, and Shopify channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Enfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (B2C): Direct consumer sales through e-commerce website with pricing displayed ex-VAT, adding VAT at checkout. Products range from professional hair/beauty supplies to tattoo equipment.
2. Wholesale Distribution (B2B): B2B wholesale distribution to salons, barbers, spas, and clinics across UK and Europe. Products furnished from equipment to specialist tools and major product brands.
3. Click & Collect: In-store pickup option for online orders from their London cash-and-carry locations, with collection hours Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-2pm.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Chris & Sons is a UK-based independent distributor and e-commerce retailer of professional hair, beauty, barbering, tattoo, and nail products, plus salon furniture. Founded in 1967 and still family-owned, the company distributes over 480 brands and 20,000+ products to trade customers (salons, barbers, spas, clinics) and direct consumers through a Shopify-powered e-commerce platform, three London cash-and-carry stores, and an Enfield showroom.

Product overview

Chris & Sons is a UK-based professional hair and beauty supplies distributor and e-commerce retailer operating since 1967. The company offers access to over 480 brands and 20,000+ products through its Shopify-powered online platform. The core offering spans multiple professional beauty categories including: Hair Care and Colour (products from Color Wow, Olaplex, Dyson, Amika, ghd, JVN, Innersense, Schwarzkopf), Barbering Tools (JRL Professional clippers/trimmers, BaByliss Pro, Wahl Professional), Tattoo Supplies (Critical Tattoo Torque and Bishop Rotary tattoo machines, PRIME Pen Machine, tattoo cartridges, Tattoo Proton studio supplies), Beauty and Nails, and Salon Furniture (from REM, Takara Belmont, Mirplay). The product portfolio includes both physical goods distribution and the company operates physical retail/showroom locations in London. Chris & Sons positions itself as the UK's largest independent distributor to the hair and beauty industry with a multi-award winning track record.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 480 professional brands distributed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hair and Beauty Brands (480+)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1967Over 480 professional hair, beauty, barbering, and tattoo brands are distributed through Chris & Sons. Brands include JRL Professional, Color Wow, L'Oreal, Wahl Professional, Olaplex, Dyson, Amika, Glossify, Innersense, ghd, Framar, Danger Jones, JVN, L3VEL3, Philip Kingsley, SISSI, STMNT, and The Gel Bottle. The company helps new and established brands grow in the UK and Europe market.
• Salon Furniture ManufacturerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with major salon furniture manufacturers including REM, Takara Belmont, and Mirplay. Enfield showroom displays over 6,000 square feet of salon furnishing to suit all budgets.
• APC, FedEx, Royal Mail (Delivery Partners)minorOthersDelivery services provided by APC, FedEx, Royal Mail, and other delivery systems of their choice for order fulfillment.
• KlarnaminorOthersPayment processing partner offering payment methods at checkout. Klarna assesses customer eligibility and tailors payment options based on customer data processed in accordance with Klarna's privacy policy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Beauty Express: UK professional beauty and hair products distributor with e-commerce and trade supply operations. Comparable B2B/B2C model targeting salons, spas, and beauty professionals with multi-brand product distribution.
• Affordable Supplies: UK-based online retailer of professional hair, beauty, and barbering supplies targeting salons and mobile professionals. Comparable in product breadth and digital-first distribution approach to Chris & Sons' e-commerce channel.
• Salons Direct: UK online retailer and distributor of professional salon and barber supplies with both e-commerce and physical cash-and-carry presence. Directly comparable to Chris & Sons in product range and target customer segment (salons, barbers, mobile stylists).
• Ellisons: Long-established UK distributor of professional hair and beauty products, founded in 1936. Comparable to Chris & Sons in both heritage positioning and B2B trade distribution model serving UK salons and barbers.
• Hair & Beauty Wholesale (HBW): UK trade-only wholesaler of professional hair, beauty, and barbering products serving independent salons and barbers. Directly comparable in customer segment and one-stop-shop distribution model.
• Salon Services: L'Oréal-owned UK professional hair and beauty products distributor with wholesale, e-commerce, and cash-and-carry operations serving salons and barbers. Closest direct competitor to Chris & Sons in the UK trade distribution market, with overlapping brand portfolio and customer base.
• Capital Hair & Beauty: UK-based wholesale distributor of professional hair and beauty supplies with multiple cash-and-carry locations. Competes head-to-head with Chris & Sons for trade customers across hair colour, hair care, barbering, and beauty categories.

Regional players

• Euro Beauty Distribution: European professional beauty and hair product distributor serving salons and retailers across continental Europe. Comparable trade-distribution model but operating primarily outside the UK market where Chris & Sons is anchored.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chrisandsonsuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYs2DaksPvElua_wjkfypyw
• Facebookfacebook.com/chrisandsons
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/chris-&-sons
• Instagraminstagram.com/chrisandsonsuk
• TikToktiktok.com/@chrisandsons?lang=en

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 Chris & Sons