NAILING SUCCESS

– Thea Green, nails inc.

WORDS: Liv Morgan

Thea Green, MBE, founded nail bar chain nails inc. 12 years ago. With a turnover of nearly €17 million, 58 nail bars spanning the UK and Ireland, and an employee count of 450, how exactly did Thea Green do it?

Having just received an MBE for her outstanding contribution to the cosmetics industry Thea Green is pondering on her success. “Did I think it would be as successful as it is?” she takes a moment, “I don’t think you know how successful something can be until you get going… but for sure, it was never set up to just be a one store outlet.”

Originally from Wirral in Cheshire, Thea brought the Manhattan inspired nail bar concept to life in the UK when she was just 24 years old. The Tatler Magazine Fashion Editor had become so accustomed to getting her nails done when visiting New York that she couldn’t comprehend why nail bars weren’t old hat in the UK.

“I had wanted to set up my own business for a period of time, I saw the nail bars in the States and thought they were phenomenal and everybody I knew who went to the States would go and get their nails done — just as much as going to see all the tourist sites or going shopping or buying American brands! Nobody in the UK I knew was doing it, every single person that I spoke to said that if it was available here they’d use it, and the only reason they didn’t go was because there wasn’t anything available for them or that they thought was for them.”

There was a stereotypical view of nail bar clientele that nails inc. had to overturn. Its success to date shows it has done so; simply by applying their business ethic to the basic needs of all women — creating time where there is no time. “The salons back then were the sort that catered towards special occasions, the type of salon you would go to if it was your wedding day to get your nails done, or you would go to for a full spa day. There was nowhere that you could pop into weekly or fortnightly to get your nails done; from a price point or an actual availability on the high streets point.”

Read more about Thea Green in the Winter 2011 issue of WMB, on newsstands from December 1st!