HOW MEDELLIN is breaking THE BARBER SHOP mould

Having launched his 12th store, Medellin The Barber Cartel founder, Marlon Naidoo, speaks to Joanna Sterkowicz about his journey thus far and plans for the future

The franchise offering is modular, with some franchisees just opting for barber services, while others add a manicure/ pedicure station, or an IV bar, or a tattoo bar.

When Marlon Naidoo decided to leave the corporate world and venture into the men’s grooming market back in 2018, he set out to disrupt the norm associated with barbering. This was not only from a perspective of creating a unique design concept and service offering, but also centred on a specific culture for both staff and clients.

Walk into any branch of Medellin The Barber Cartel and you will immediately be struck by the distinctly themed design and branding. And yes, that is the face of notorious Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, plastered on the wall.

It was the TV drama series, ‘Narcos’, about Escobar, whose compound was in the town of Medellin, that inspired Naidoo’s concept. And while the décor and design of the Medellin stores reflects the ‘Narcos’ setting, albeit in a fun way, Naidoo is at pains to point out that his aim was never to glorify Escobar or the drug trade, but rather to turn the stereotype around the word ‘cartel’ on its head.

“All that cartel actually means is a group of people with a common school of thought moving in one direction,” he continues. “Another stereotype I wanted to overturn is that Medellin only caters for ethnic hair. The fact is that we provide services for all types of hair and our clients are drawn from all ages and races. We even have included a ‘Junior Cartel’ offering on our menu and there are even female clients who come in for undercuts or blade work.”

Franchise expansion

While the Medellin franchise is delighted to have opened its newest branch in Centurion, at the Irene Link Shopping Centre, the original store, in Pineslopes, Johannesburg, remains fully owned by Naidoo and is his flagship salon, which he describes as ‘his baby’.

THE DAINFERN BRANCH

He continues: “Centurion is our 12th store and came straight after launching in Claremont, our first foray into the Cape market. I must say it’s been a daunting process as Cape Town is unchartered territory for us. The male grooming market here doesn’t have that ‘butch-finesse’ approach to grooming that we have in Johannesburg, where males are more ‘woke’ and self-aware, and I believe that is our unique selling point. Medellin puts the masculinity back into grooming. To me, it’s as if society as a whole has evolved into a culture of personal upkeep and how you present yourself in terms of grooming is locked into self-esteem.”

Another 29 franchises are in the pipeline, with more stores in Cape Town and plans to infiltrate the Durban market. There are numerous branches in the Johannesburg area already, as in Parkhurst, Dainfern, The Glen, Kyalami, Honeydew, Morningside, Bedfordview and Stoneridge.

Medellin stores range in size from 50 square metres to 150 square metres. The franchise offering is modular, with some franchisees just opting for barber services, while others add a manicure/ pedicure station, or an IV bar, or a tattoo bar.

“Because of our modular approach, we can create a bespoke offering, tailoring it to the market segment. For instance, our Claremont branch has a coffee nook outside, as that is very much part of the Cape Town lifestyle,” notes Naidoo.

Culture

He emphasises that the Medellin culture is not just about barbering and grooming, it is also about how men behave and about societal respect, as in don’t abuse women and don’t be narcissistic.

MARLON NAIDOO POSES FOR A ‘CARTEL MUGSHOT’

Consultative barbering is strongly encouraged, where barbers will sit with a new customer for 10 minutes prior to working on their hair.

STORE MANAGER DONALD MUDAU

“So we promote the culture of ‘The Medellin Man’, not only for our staff but for our clients as well. Our stores are the gateway to Version 1.2 of every gentleman who comes into our salons. It’s all so much bigger than just a haircut. We encourage responsible drinking and behaviour and are committed to help end genderbased violence,” he comments.

The right staff

When he entered the hair sector, Naidoo found it an incredibly diluted training environment. “Some ethnic barbers think they only need to know how to use scissors, while others only know how to cut with clippers. My barbers need to have both skills. Our training is universal and we do skill transfers. The Medellin operations managers go from store to store to do skills audits.

“From a barbering perspective, there is no central place to learn barbering, as in a hands-on school of barbering. To try and address that, two months ago I started the Medellin Training Academy.”

Naidoo’s barbers are encouraged to wear different cuts and styles on their own hair so that they become a live catalogue for customers. Consultative barbering is strongly encouraged, where barbers will sit with a customer for 10 minutes prior to working on their hair.

“We build relationships with clients as they have a canvas in terms of their hair,” notes Naidoo. “The conversation between customers and barbers is comfortable and they even talk about things like nose hair. We address the issue of hair loss with clients, but approach the topic in a sensitive way and we might even refer the customer to a dermatologist. Our barbers are able to identify conditions like psoriasis on the scalp, or acne, and we refer them to Skin Renewal Clinic.”

He is adamant that Medellin staff need to be authentic and have a strong desire to work for the franchise. Staff turnover is very low, at 6%. Among Medellin customers are celebrities, sports stars and DJs, but they all pay for their services as there are no free endorsements.

Hairdressers vs barbers

Naidoo maintains that there is a big divide between barbers and hairdressers, in that the latter feel superior.

“I want to overturn that perception as there is no logical or practical reason that barbers should feel inferior as good barbering requires lots of skill. My aim is to redefine the barber segment in the industry.”

To this end, Naidoo introduced the Medellin Master Fade Competition, where 20 barbers compete annually for the grand prize of an immediate job within the franchise.