Belgian Celebrity Hairstylist Expands Business to Morocco and France

From a small hairstylist in 2015, Mathieu Nayis has managed to establish himself in his field in Belgium. He gained notoriety in 2020. Today, he owns nine hair salons: four in Brussels (Anderlecht, Jette, Docks, Chaussée de Charleroi), three in Wallonia (Saint-Ghislain, Wavre, Braine-l’Alleud) and two in Flanders (Dilbeek and Saint-Nicolas). The Brussels-based Aramean employs about thirty employees. These salons "already bring him revenues of more than 1 million euros," reports L’Écho, noting that this result "is (however) mostly negative because the profits are reinvested in new locations." "We made a profit in 2023 because we stopped opening new salons," says Mathieu Nayis.

The celebrity hairstylist has opened franchises in Belgium. "In Belgium, I’ve already sold 12 franchise contracts, including five in Charleroi," he specifies further. After a commercial prospecting in six months, he decides to expand internationally quickly by opening franchises. "To date, I have signed 29 franchise contracts, the overall valuation of which is around 4 million euros. One week after the launch of the calls for applications, I had received 460 requests from all over (United States, Canada, Africa...)," he confides.

The celebrity hairstylist is targeting Morocco and France. "(...) a very good friend of mine, who works with a partner in Morocco, has convinced me to sell him a master franchise to become the brand manager of Mathieu Nayis there. And if the franchise in France (for two salons in Orléans and two in Paris) is not yet signed, it is for administrative reasons related to departmental quotas for commercial spaces," he explains. He reveals his ambition for Morocco. "Within three years, the master franchise sold in Morocco will allow the opening of about fifteen salons in Marrakech, Fez, Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier. The one in Marrakech is actually supposed to open soon," specifies Mathieu Nayis.

The wish of the celebrity hairstylist is to open up to 80 franchises by the end of 2027. "There will be others. Ultimately, I’m aiming for 80 franchises. My goal is to be a global leader within ten years," he assures. To achieve this, Mathieu is relying on the expertise of Salvatore Scalia, former international sales director of Leonidas and co-founder and CEO of the startup beTIK. "(...) I hired Salvatore Scalia to develop the network of subsidiaries," he recounts.