Founded in 2013 by Romano Brida, and now controlled by the Percassi Group, the barbershop chain has established a new milestone in the international expansion of Bullfrog Outlets.
The salon recently inaugurated on the island of Cyprus is a 40sqm space inside Nicosia’s the Mall of Cyprus in Nicosia. The training and organizational aspects of the launch have all been managed remotely without inspection visits from company headquarters.
“The store is doing very well, so much so that we plan to open another one within the year,” said Romano Brida. “Cyprus is changing rapidly, it is a perfect outpost towards the Gulf countries and the ideal place to deal with a clientele with different tastes compared to European customers. Furthermore, agreements that Cyprus has signed with the countries already at a good point in their Covid vaccine rollouts, promises a rapid recovery of tourist footfall on the island ”.
Bullfrog today counts a total of 17 barbershops, 6 of which are owned and 11 franchised. During 2020, they opened a shop in Nice and are planning to open others in France, starting with Paris.
Germany is another expanding market; since reopening after the lockdown the two Munich stores have been handling 190 customers a day and distribution has been unexpectedly dynamic. Foreign markets are becoming more and more important for the brand, with 2021 forecasts expecting to show a 60% turnover from abroad.
Reaction to the Pandemic
Bullfrog’s response to the pandemic has been quick and determined: the company invested in digital and training, moving the activities of its academy online and implementing greater integration between digital and physical sales channels,
“Our e-Commerce has also adapted to the new context, including communication, education and even payments.”, adds Brida. “In 2019, Bullfrog recorded a total turnover of 4.3 million euros, while they closed 2020 at 3.5 million euros – a drop of 19%. “The loss is reduced to 6% if calculated on the opening days,” concludes Brida.
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In the picture
The first Bullfrog barbershop opened in Milan in 2013 with the aim to be the point of reference for grooming connoisseurs .
The brand was created by Romano Brida, who after visiting New York, decided to bring the American barbershop concept to Italy, while mixing it with Italian barbershop traditions.
