A BRADFORD hairdressing salon that can trace its roots back to 1930s Italy won Hair and Beauty Salon of the Year at the 2022 Telegraph & Argus Retail, Leisure and Hospitality awards on Sunday night.

Marios Hairdressing, based in Bradford city centre, won the Hair and Beauty Salon of the Year award, sponsored by Kirkgate.

Adrian de Luca, director of Marios Hairdressing, said: “It means everything to win this award. We’ve been a family-run business for 75 years."

Managing director Lucy Corradini said: “It’s so important to have devotion to what you do.

“The loyalty of our customers means everything to us.”

Marios Hairdressing is a piece of Bradford history, tracing its roots back to 1930s Naples.

It was founded by Ugo De Luca, who brought a touch of Italian style to the city.

His venture was a huge success, and Marios is now one of the most established hairdressing businesses in the city.

Marios has attracted a number of celebrity clients among its many customers - including Zayn Malik, Roger Daltrey, James Wattana, David Batty and Robbie Paul, as well as sporting figures and Bollywood stars.

In the criteria for the award, judges were looking for a business that offers a great experience in the hair, beauty or cosmetic sector.

Judges wanted to find out what puts their salon ahead of the rest and why they have happy customers who come back time and time again.

The story of the family-run business dates back to 1938, when Naples-born Ugo set up a salon in his home town with his brothers, Guido and Mario.

With the outbreak of World War II, Ugo was drafted into the army before being taken prisoner at the battle of El Alamein, in North Africa. He spent the remainder of the war in a prisoner-of-war camp in Brighouse.

Ugo’s son and current director, Adrian De Luca, said: “Ugo met his wife, Mary, in Brighouse, but on his release he returned to Naples. Mary visited him in Naples but when she left he realised he wanted to be with her, so Ugo sold his share of the business to his brothers and headed back to Yorkshire.

“The couple opened their first Marios in the old Forster Square railway station in Bradford.”

Adrian said: “Over the years, we’ve seen many changes to our city centre but, whilst Marios has expanded, adapting new ideas and technology, staying ahead of the game, we still embrace the values of friendly, individual customer service that Ugo brought from Naples all those years ago.”