Southern Enterprise Awards 2020

69 | Southern Enterprise Awards 2020 Best Dog & Cat Grooming Salon - Greater London Owning a pet is a wonderful thing. They can bring so much joy into our lives, and we do our best to take care of them by feeding them delicious treats, and ensuring that their hygiene is the best it can possibly be. Grooming salons for dogs and cats are somewhat commonplace, but the outstanding nature of Top to Tail Coulsdon marks it out as somewhere to be revered amongst the world of dog and cat grooming. Discover the world of luxury it can afford any canine or feline friend, as we take a closer look. Since its inception more than twenty years ago, Top to Tail has changed hands over the years, but never compromised on the excellence that has brought it this far. More than two decades ago, the cousin of the current owners founded the salon in Coulsdon, and grew it initially into Trim and Swim, a dog grooming and hydrotherapy centre in one. From there, the business grew until it eventually moved to Purley, where it is currently located, and became known as Top to Tail. Sisters Sophie and Emma then took over the business, with the former purchasing it in 2008 before the latter came on board in 2016. Following this changing of the guard, the business returned to Coulsdon in 2018 and merged with The Mutt Hutt, closing the Purley salon to become Top to Tail Coulsdon Ltd. Today, the firm offers all manner of exceptional services, including puppy and kitten introductory courses into all things grooming, thorough de-sheds, and full grooms. Offering all styles of practical pet trims and breeding standards, the team at Top to Tail truly know what they are doing. Yet, it is more than just a salon, having worked tirelessly to build a TTF family with its youngest clients being just fourteen weeks old, and its oldest clients being twenty years of age. Each pet is welcomed into the fold, and they are known on an individual basis. As a result, each groom is slowly and surely adjusted to their needs and likes, to make them feel even more at home during a treatment. Undoubtedly, however, the unique selling point of Top to Tail is the Puppy University, which has been running 2018, and Kitten University, which is due to start in 2021 with introductory customers having been signed up since October 2020. Puppy and Kitten University is for clients aged between twelve weeks and six months only, and seeks to introduce their owners to nail Sep20208 clipping, feet, face, and bottom tidies, noises in the salon including clippers, hair dryers, and water, before they are given a full bath and comb out ending on a full groom. This university-style introduction into the world of grooming for new pets can also be adapted for rescue pets and nervous pets, who maybe are not familiar with the grooming environment. What this does is build confidence and a rapport between the pet and their owner, making sure that grooming soon becomes something they can enjoy together. That confidence then feeds into the positive atmosphere that the team has cultivated for itself. After all, Top and Tail is a team. Everyone knows that no-one is too senior to not pick up the poo or wee that does unfortunately occur in a grooming salon. Everybody mucks in to help, asking one another for feedback on grooms and providing a positive, growth-oriented learning attitude. The entire team is passionate about customer service, and not just the pet owner, but the pets themselves. Top and Tail will always advocate for them, engaging in open and honest conversations with their owners about their lifestyle, age, health, and wellbeing. The team go above and beyond because they care about the pets and their families. However, that care also extends to the team itself. Both Sophie and Emma have worked hard to build a workplace that values life balance. Every team member has the time to enjoy grooming each client in a calm and relaxing environment. Simply put, Top and Tail would not be where it is today without its team. Each member brings their own set of skills, which Sophie and Emma work hard to foster and grow with the business. Pets deserve to feel just as luxurious as any other creatures on Earth, and that is what Top and Tail gives to them. The confidence and the beauty of having a perfectly groomed lifestyle. Top and Tail is a truly exceptional business, and deserves every success. Contact: Emma Hunter-French Website: www.toptotailsalons.co.uk The confidence and the beauty of having a perfectly groomed lifestyle. Top and Tail is a truly exceptional business, and deserves every success.