Barbers, aged 21 and 24, set to open third shop at Sports Direct Fitness complex on Moreton Hall estate in Bury St Edmunds

A pair of young barbershop entrepreneurs are set to open a third shop within the Sports Direct Fitness complex in Bury St Edmunds.

Oli Norman, 21, and Brodie Nurse, 24, are opening their new On Point barbershop on June 5 on the Moreton Hall estate.

Mr Norman – a Bury St Edmunds resident who launched his first business in Elmswell in 2020, aged just 18 – has previously targeted areas which lack their own barbershops.

He has now sold the second On Point outlet, in Long Melford, to focus on his latest investment.

He says he is aware of the challenges of operating a barbershop in Bury, as opposed to more rural locations.

However, the Sports Direct site is close to a number of business premises, and Mr Norman hopes this will assist the shop with footfall.

He said: "Because we're on the outskirts – in Moreton Hall – we've got a lot of businesses around, so people can pop in on their lunch breaks.

"We'll be doing extra hours, so we'll be doing late nights most nights. We'll be open until 8 or 9 o'clock at night, starting early from 7 o'clock in the morning ...

"People will be able to fit a visit into their day."

Mr Norman's business partner, Mr Nurse, applied to work at his Elmswell shop just before it opened, during the UK's first lockdown.

Since then, they have developed a strong business relationship.

Mr Norman said: "We've got on really well. I can trust him, and I wanted him to come on board for the new shop."

Despite the pessimistic outlook for new businesses during lockdown, Mr Norman found there was a strong demand for his new barbershop.

This has allowed him to expand the On Point brand – including the launch of an exclusive line of clothes.

He said of the experience of starting out: "It was hard, but it also gave me the time to do up the new shop.

"Once we opened, a lot of people needed haircuts. It was like people were looking to give us a try."