Sabir Hairdressers, which has a main site based in Whetley Lane, was named the best hair salon at England’s Business Awards – West Yorkshire.

The hairdressers and barber shop business is steeped in family tradition and history.

From left, Sabir Hussain and his son Abdul Samad at the Whetley Lane salon (Image: Newsquest)

Abdul Samad, 27, is the manager of Sabir Hairdressers, while the business was started by his father, Sabir Hussain, and the latter’s uncle, Muhammad Din, who moved to Bradford from Pakistan in 1957 to open a barber shop on Lumb Lane called Muhammadin Jhelumi.

Mr Hussain moved to the UK from Pakistan in 1974 and opened his first shop on Leeds Road, called Sabir Hairdressers, six years later after previously working for his uncle.

A wall display shows the history behind the hairdressing business in Bradford (Image: Sabir Hairdressers)

He moved Sabir Hairdressers to Oak Lane in 1984 and then to its current site in Whetley Lane three years later.

The business opened its second branch in Bradford, Stylo Hair Studio, in 2005, followed by a third branch in Frizinghall two years later.

A fourth site was opened on Heights Lane in 2018, while the Frizinghall branch was changed into a mobile barber shop, called Barber on the Move, in 2020.

Mr Samad was delighted the business won its first award.

He said: “It feels great to win the award. It was my father who set up the salon. He has been in the trade for nearly 50 years.

“It’s nice to get this appreciation. It’s the first award we have won. We’ve featured in lots of award ceremonies before.

Generations of Bradfordians have had their hair cut at Sabir Hairdressers in Whetley Lane (Image: Newsquest)

“My dad has taught lots of barbering to people in Bradford.

“My father still works here. He is 69 and works seven days a week.

“The whole thing about a barber shop is that it’s a hub. It’s all getting lost now. Generations of the same family come to the shop. People remember coming as a kid. It’s a family-run business.”

The shop front of Sabir Hairdressers on Whetley Lane in Bradford (Image: Newsquest)

The England’s Business Awards – West Yorkshire ceremony was held at The Queens Hotel in Leeds on August 20.

Sabir Hairdressers was initially nominated for the awards’ Best Hairdresser, Best Beauty Salon, and Best Hair Salon categories and won the latter prize.

After scooping the award, Sabir Hairdressers posted on Facebook: “Yesterday with your duas and support we were given the opportunity to win this award.”