Alan Howard Ltd.

What Alan Howard Ltd. does

Alan Howard Ltd. (legal entity: Alan Howard (Stockport) Ltd.) is a UK-based B2B wholesale distributor serving hair, beauty, and barbering professionals. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Stockport, the company operates a dual-channel distribution model consisting of a 24/7 e-commerce platform and a network of 25 physical retail stores spread across the UK, including locations in Stockport, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Belfast, and other major cities. It distributes 100+ professional brands spanning hair colour, hair care, styling, barbering, beauty, electrical equipment, and salon furniture, with flagship partnerships including Wella, L'Oreal Professionnel, Schwarzkopf Professional, Matrix, Goldwell, Joico, Redken, and Sebastian Professional.

The company operates a trade-only model requiring professional verification (NVQ Level 2+, public liability insurance, or business documentation) before customers can access wholesale pricing. Its product portfolio is organized into major categories including hair colour, hair care, hair styling, barbering, beauty (nails, tanning, lashes & brows), electrical equipment, and salon furniture. Alan Howard also owns four exclusive house brands (shed, Alfa Italia, Quif, VelvaPro) available only through its channel, and offers professional education courses in partnership with major brands. Supporting infrastructure includes a trade rewards program (Alan Howard Rewards), an expert content platform (Alan Howard Connect), and a blog. Technology stack is deliberately traditional — no proprietary technology is disclosed — relying on standard payment processors (SagePay, PayPal), marketing automation (MailChimp, HubSpot), and Klarna for buy-now-pay-later.

Revenue is generated through wholesale product sales to registered professionals on a pay-as-you-go unit pricing model with volume discounts (e.g., Buy 3 Get 1 Free), free standard delivery over £35, and multiple fulfillment options (DPD next-day, click-and-collect, local salon delivery). The addressable customer segment is primarily UK-based hair stylists, beauticians, barbers, salon owners, and trainees, with the company explicitly focused on a single domestic market (United Kingdom). No revenue figures, funding rounds, M&A activity, or ownership changes are disclosed in available sources.

Name

Alan Howard Ltd.

Legal name

Alan Howard (Stockport) Ltd.

Website

https://alanhoward.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Alan Howard is a UK-based B2B wholesale distributor serving hair, beauty, and barbering professionals through an e-commerce platform and 25 physical retail stores, distributing 100+ professional brands on a trade-only model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Hair, Beauty & Barbering Supply Distribution

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Haircare & Hair Color Distribution (CRAOAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional/Salon Haircare (Backbar & Retail) (CRABABAK), Salon Retail & Backbar Consumables (Disposables, Capes, Towels, Sanitizers) (CRABALAJ)

Keywords

• Professional hair products
• Salon supply wholesale
• Beauty products distribution
• Barbering supplies trade
• Professional beauty retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Wholesale to Professionals): Revenue generated through wholesale product sales to registered hair, beauty, and barbering professionals. Products include hair colour, hair care, styling, barbering supplies, beauty products, electrical equipment, furniture, and professional tools. Operates on a trade-only model with exclusive professional pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Alan Howard Ltd. is a B2B wholesale distributor of professional hair, beauty, and barbering products serving trade professionals such as hairdressers, barbers, and beauticians across the United Kingdom through 25 physical retail stores and a dedicated e-commerce platform (alanhoward.co.uk). The company operates a trade-only model that requires verifiable professional qualifications (NVQ/SVQ certifications) and distributes more than 100 brands — including exclusive in-house and family-owned lines such as Crazy Angel, Halo, MUK, and Twister — across roughly 80,000 SKUs in categories including hair colour, hair care, hair styling, barbering, beauty, electrical, furniture, scissors and razors, extensions, and salon essentials.

Product overview

Alan Howard is a B2B wholesale distributor serving hair, beauty, and barbering professionals in the UK. The company operates as both an online e-commerce platform and a network of 25 physical stores nationwide. Their product portfolio is organized into major categories: Hair Colour (permanent, demi/semi-permanent, temporary, bleach, developers), Hair Care (shampoos, conditioners, treatments, masks, oils), Hair Styling (styling products, heat protection, finishing), Barbering (styling products, electricals, grooming, shaving), Beauty (nails, tanning, lashes & brows, skin care, makeup), Electrical (hairdryers, straighteners, curling tools, clippers), and Furniture (salon, beauty, nail, barber shop). The company also distributes exclusive family brands (shed, Alfa Italia, Quif, VelvaPro) alongside professional brands like Sebastian Professional, Wella, Schwarzkopf, Matrix, Goldwell, Joico, and Redken. Alan Howard provides supplementary services including trade rewards, education courses, an online knowledge platform (Connect), and industry blog content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• shed: Family brand of hair products available exclusively at Alan Howard.
• Alfa Italia
• Quif
• VelvaPro

Products and services

• Alan Howard Multi-Brand Trade Catalogue A multi-brand wholesale catalogue of approximately 80,000 professional products across 100+ brands spanning hair colour, hair care, hair styling, barbering, beauty, electrical, furniture, scissors and razors, salon extensions, perm and straightening, and salon essentials — sold to qualified UK trade professionals through physical stores and the alanhoward.co.uk e-commerce platform.
• Alan Howard Trade Education & Refresher Courses Education and refresher training courses (including events) delivered to professional hairdressers, barbers, and beauticians to support their ongoing professional development and product knowledge.
• Crazy Angel An exclusive in-house/family brand of professional beauty products distributed by Alan Howard to its qualified trade customers.
• Halo An exclusive in-house/family brand of professional beauty products distributed by Alan Howard to its qualified trade customers.
• MUK An exclusive in-house/family brand of professional hair products distributed by Alan Howard to its qualified trade customers.
• Twister An exclusive in-house/family brand of professional hair products distributed by Alan Howard to its qualified trade customers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WellacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWella is one of the major professional hair product brands distributed by Alan Howard, including Wella Blondor, Koleston, and Color Touch colour lines.
• L'Oreal ProfessionnelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorL'Oreal Professionnel is a flagship brand partner distributed through Alan Howard's trade-only channel.
• Schwarzkopf ProfessionalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchwarzkopf Professional (including Igora Royal) is a key brand partner offering professional hair colour solutions.
• MatrixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMatrix professional hair care and colour products distributed through Alan Howard with associated education courses.
• GoldwellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoldwell professional hair colour and care products available through Alan Howard distribution.
• JoicocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJoico professional hair care and colour products distributed by Alan Howard with dedicated education courses.
• RedkencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRedken professional hair care and colour products distributed through Alan Howard with Redken-specific education courses.
• Sebastian ProfessionalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSebastian Professional styling and colour products featured as a featured brand partner.
• shed, Alfa Italia, Quif, VelvaProcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive house brands available only at Alan Howard: shed, Alfa Italia, Quif, and VelvaPro.
• Redken, Joico, Matrix, milk_shake, Alfa Italia, Nanokeratin, QiQi, QuifcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand partners providing education courses through Alan Howard education platform including Redken Courses, Joico Courses, Matrix Courses, milk_shake Courses, Alfa Italia Courses, Nanokeratin Courses, QiQi Courses, and Quif Courses.
• KlarnaminorOthersPayment service partner enabling flexible payment options (buy now, pay later) for customers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Capital Hair & Beauty: UK-based B2B wholesale and retail distributor of professional hair and beauty products, serving salons and barbers with a comparable multi-brand portfolio and trade-only model. Direct head-to-head competitor across both online and physical retail channels in the UK.
• Salon Services: Long-established UK professional hair and beauty distributor (now part of the SalonCentric group) operating trade-only supply to salons and barbers. Closest comparable in customer model, brand portfolio breadth, and store footprint.
• Hair & Beauty Warehouse: UK-based professional hair and beauty wholesale distributor offering multi-brand supplies to trade customers. Operates a comparable e-commerce and trade-supply model targeting similar professional segments.
• Beauty Express: UK trade supplier of professional beauty, hair, and nail products to salons, spas, and barbers. Comparable business model, customer base, and product category mix.

Broad incumbents

• CosmoProf: European professional beauty distribution arm of Sally Beauty, supplying salons and beauty professionals across multiple European markets. Larger incumbent with comparable trade-only professional supply model and broader international footprint.
• Sally Beauty Holdings: Global specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty products (including BSG/CosmoProf division) operating broadly across both consumer and professional channels. Larger, publicly listed incumbent with overlapping professional supply capabilities and broader geographic reach.
• SalonCentric: L'Oreal-owned professional beauty distribution platform in the US, having acquired Salon Services. Represents the strategic direction major brand owners are pursuing — vertically integrated direct distribution — making it the most consequential structural competitor to independent UK distributors like Alan Howard.

Emerging players

• Framar: Emerging professional beauty tools and accessories supplier with strong direct-to-salon digital presence and social media-led marketing. Represents the digitally native, brand-led model that could attract next-generation professionals away from traditional multi-brand wholesalers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AlanHowardLtd
• Facebookfacebook.com/alanhowardltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alan-howard-hair-&-beauty
• Instagraminstagram.com/alanhowardltd

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 Alan Howard Ltd.