Yulia Rorstrom, Founder and CEO of Duck & Dry, said: "We've built a strong brand, a loyal customer following and a distinctive customer experience - we're now ready to take Duck & Dry nationwide."
September 16, 2026 // Franchising.com // London, UK - Duck & Dry, the premium blow-dry and styling brand, has unveiled plans for significant UK expansion, targeting up to 60 locations within the next five years through a combination of franchised and company-owned salons.
The move marks a major milestone for the London-founded business as it seeks to capitalise on growing consumer demand for premium beauty services, experience-led retail and convenient self-care offerings beyond the capital.
The expansion will be accelerated through a partnership with Hero Brands, the team behind high-growth brands including German Doner Kebab and Sides, bringing proven expertise in franchise development, operator recruitment and brand scaling.
Having established a strong footprint across London, including locations in Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Battersea Power Station, The Whiteley and John Lewis Oxford Street, Duck & Dry is now looking to replicate that success nationally.
Duck & Dry is actively seeking franchise partners to introduce the concept to major UK cities including Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The expansion comes as the beauty and wellness sector continues to demonstrate strong resilience, driven by consumers' increasing willingness to invest in services that deliver both emotional and practical value. At the same time, demand for premium in-person experiences remains strong as customers seek human connection and personalised service in an increasingly digital world.
Duck & Dry believes its established and highly systemised operating model creates a compelling opportunity for ambitious entrepreneurs looking to enter the growing beauty sector. Franchise partners will benefit from a recognised brand, comprehensive training programmes, proprietary technology, operational systems, marketing support, supplier relationships and ongoing business guidance designed to help them build successful salons from day one.
Yulia Rorstrom, Founder and CEO of Duck & Dry, said:
"We've spent years building a brand that customers trust and genuinely love. Every part of the business has been refined, from the salon experience and training programmes to our technology, products and marketing. Partnering with Hero Brands gives us the expertise and infrastructure to accelerate growth and bring Duck & Dry to more customers across the UK.
"We know there is strong demand for premium beauty experiences beyond London. Customers want quality, convenience and consistency, and we believe Duck & Dry is perfectly positioned to meet that demand. We have a huge opportunity to build a truly national beauty brand, combining the strength of our company-owned estate with ambitious franchise partners who share our vision for growth."
The business believes changing consumer habits are creating favourable conditions for expansion. Once largely reserved for special occasions, blow-dry services are increasingly becoming part of customers' regular beauty routines, supported by flexible booking habits, busy lifestyles and a growing emphasis on personal presentation.
At the same time, customer expectations have evolved. Today's beauty consumers are looking for more than technical expertise. They expect seamless digital booking, strong branding, beautiful spaces, convenience and consistency from the moment they discover a brand online to the moment they leave the salon.
To support growth, franchisees will receive assistance across site selection, salon design, recruitment, training, launch marketing and ongoing business performance management. The brand has also developed detailed operating standards and training systems designed to ensure a consistent customer experience as the network expands.
The expansion strategy reflects broader trends reshaping both retail and beauty, with experiential concepts increasingly sought after by landlords and destination operators looking to drive footfall and customer engagement. Duck & Dry sees particular opportunities within premium retail environments, department stores and high-footfall urban locations where beauty, hospitality and experience-led retail increasingly intersect.
"Our ambition isn't simply to open more locations," added Yulia Rorstrom. "It's to build the UK's leading premium blow-dry and styling brand. We have a fantastic platform and are focused on finding the right partners, in the right locations, who can deliver the Duck & Dry experience to the standards our customers expect.”
With a target of up to 60 locations nationwide, the franchise launch marks the next stage in Duck & Dry's ambition to build one of the UK's leading premium beauty and styling brands.
Hero Brands is a popular culture platform, founded on the belief that the future belongs to brands powered by community, culture, and creators. Its portfolio encompasses a range of brands deeply embedded in various cultural niches, making it one of the most exciting culture-led groups in the UK, with 190+ locations worldwide, 40+ high-profile brand and creator partnerships, and 800M+ talent partner reach of combined followers. Its mission is to turn early-stage ventures into durable, high-performing businesses through a proven value enhancement playbook, operating across four verticals and one shared platform:
Media, executing a transformational buy-and-build model of digital and legacy media across online news, video/TV, live events and audio; Licensing, launching successful creator-led licensing and IP partnerships by turning cultural relevance into scalable brand extensions; Lifestyle, comprising health and wellness studio platforms and concepts, and Food & Beverage: culture-first QSR and consumer F&B brands built and scaled through the Hero Brands platform, including, among others, the kebab category re-defining GDK (German Doner Kebab), the pioneering hot chicken brand SIDES in collaboration with Europe’s largest YouTube collective, The Sidemen, and PG Fast Food, the QSR brand redefining the fast-food experience, leaning heavily into nostalgia with a ‘naughty-but-nice’ menu, while prioritizing a modern, community-centric model in collaboration with musician and entrepreneur Professor Green. To learn more about Hero Brands visit https://www.herobrands.com/
Duck & Dry is London’s leading destination for modern hairstyling, pioneering a brand-led, experience-driven beauty concept since 2014. With salons in some of the city’s most iconic locations, the brand has built a decade-long reputation for delivering premium, feel-good experiences that go beyond hair. Duck & Dry’s flagship salons offer a full suite of expert styling services, complemented by thoughtfully curated bar, retail, and event spaces that transform each visit into a social and lifestyle experience. The brand serves a loyal community of women who value wellness, confidence, and the transformative power of great hair, and regularly welcomes celebrity, press, and influencer clientele.
SOURCE Hero Brands