London — The best business lessons are learned in-house. It’s a different story for Kuldeep Knox, founder and chief executive of hair care brand Champo, who spent his career at Neo Investment Partners in the UK, backing brands such as Victoria Beckham. It has been proven to be correct. Ami Paris, Miller Harris, Valextra, Alain Mikli.
Since its launch in 2019, the brand has sold over 1.5 million products and recorded 220% year-on-year growth, making it Selfridges’ fastest-growing haircare brand.
“It was several years later [leaving private equity] I’ve experienced thinning hair myself, so it really boosted my confidence. “I realized how important a woman’s hair is to one’s identity,” Knox said in an interview, adding that the idea for Eureka came from witnessing her 70-year-old grandmother’s long, dark hair while traveling from India. He added that it was a trigger. . Her brand name pays homage to her heritage, a word derived from the Hindi word kapo.
Kuldeep Knox, Founder and CEO, Chāmpo
Courtesy of Champo
The secret to my grandmother’s hair was the product of ancient Ayurvedic ingredients and rituals. This led Knox on a personal health journey, and working with labs and trichologists he spent 18 months creating a range of shampoos, conditioners, serums, hair accessories and hair oils. .
The success of the Pitta Growth Serum led Harrods to collaborate with Champo on their first hairstyle. The product is the best-selling hair care product in high-end department stores and sells one product every minute in its unique direct-to-consumer channel.
This serum is made up of red clover extract which helps prevent hair loss. Lipoamino acids to keep your scalp calm, and geranium, Himalayan jatamansi, neroli, and petitgrain to support hair strength.
Champo’s price ranges from GBP 14.50 to GBP 56.67.
“Our current pricing was an important factor in our growth and customer considerations. We have a very broad customer base and operate in all luxury markets,” said Knox. said.
The brand is expanding its wholesale business and is outperforming with sales at Brown, Thomas & Arnotts in Northern Ireland and Ireland increasing by 800 per cent year-on-year.
Champo sold out within a week at the Brown Thomas store in Dublin. The retailer quickly placed the brand in three more regional stores.
Knox recently added Dubai to his list and will next open in the Netherlands with Douglas and Debienkorf.
“Our main customer base is women who suffer from thinning hair or thinning hair, and there are a lot of them in the Netherlands,” says Knox. “We plan to expand our operations in the US and Europe this year as growth rates continue to rise,” he said. ”
Courtesy of Champo
The business’s growth strategy focuses on sustainable and profitable growth, and the founders started the business with a loan from their parents.
Knox studied finance and accounting at the London School of Economics and entered the world of finance after graduating.
“I thought I was going to spend my career in finance, but I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. “It was a pretty bold move to do something different and different from what we’ve done before,” she explained.
“The training that someone with a finance background receives is very helpful because it makes them take numbers seriously, which increases the chances of a successful business,” she added.
