Groomed for great things

A former worker at Kwik Fit Insurance Services in Tannochside has rebounded from its closure to open her own award-winning business.
Stacey Neason with her Best Motherwell Business awardStacey Neason with her Best Motherwell Business award
Stacey Neason with her Best Motherwell Business award

Stacey Neason from Wishaw, worked at Kwik Fit for six years is customer services and quality assurances.

It was devastating blow to more than 500 workers when it closed last spring, but Stacey saw it as an opportunity to follow her passion of working with animals.

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Last July she opened Fluffy Paws Grooming in Brandon Street, Motherwell, and just eight months on has been named Best Motherwell Business at the first Lanarkshire Retail Business Awards held in Glasgow.

It was no easy task to win the award as after nominations were made online the businesses received a mystery shopper visit and then underwent an interview with the judges before a public vote decided the winners.

Stacey said: “I had been a hairdresser before working at Kwik Fit, but I decided when it closed that maybe I’d become a dog hairdresser.

“I went on a course in Greenock and then I set about setting up a shop, I have two dogs of my own so they received plenty of grooming in order to let me practice.

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“I only opened last July and the business has been going from strength to strength, I love my work although I have learned to be careful as my old human clients didn’t tend to bite when they got their hair done.

“To have now to have won an award like this within the first year is amazing, but proves my decision to try something new was more than justified.

“I had absolutely no idea I’d been nominated or that I’d been visited by mystery shoppers, the first I really knew was when they came to interview me.

“It’s just all so unexpected, but in the most pleasant of ways, and I have to thank all my customers for their support as I got my business up and running and this has given me an extra push to make it a real success story.”

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Meanwhile, two Motherwell businesses received awards at the sixth Scottish Wedding Awards which took place in Glasgow.

The awards ceremony celebrated the high standard of work and commitment of those in the Scottish wedding industry .

View Photography was named Photographer of the Year fro the South West region, while Susan Dick Jewellery & Bridal Accessories was named Wedding Accessories Provider of the Year.