FANTASTIC SAMS®: 30 AND GROWING - Leading Salon Franchise Celebrates 30th Anniversary with New Strategy for Growth

BEVERLY, MA (Monday, May 17, 2004) - This July, Fantastic Sams®, the world's largest full-service hair care franchise, will look beyond the balloons and streamers decorating its salons in commemoration of its 30th anniversary, to launch an aggressive strategy to grow it franchises by more than 67.5 percent by December 2008.

In addition to opening more of Fantastic Sams®' hip, contemporary-looking New Look salons, and repackaging and adding to its signature FS® Haircare line, the plan is to launch a traveling training program, build a new training facility, update the company's web site and introduce more cutting-edge services to its more than 1,350 salons across the globe. Last year, Fantastic Sams® salons saw the introduction of: Clean & Easy ™ facial waxing, the CHI Transformation retexturizing system, and the Deep Brilliance retexturizing system for highly-textured hair, which allows stylists to relax and color in the same day.

"We felt a hard-hitting initiative was the best way to re-introduce Fantastic Sams to new breed investors who may not be familiar with our proven track record for success, or have a dated view of what we stand for," said Jack Keilt, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Fantastic Sams®' new look and services menu is a far cry from what Sam Ross, a barber based in Memphis, Tennessee offered when he opened the very first Fantastic Sams® salon in 1974. Legend has it that the charismatic Ross got the idea for naming his salon after the mother of young satisfied customer approvingly exclaimed, 'Wow, that looks fantastic, Sam!'

In 1976, Ross introduced the concept of regional franchising to the salon industry when he began selling franchises of Fantastic Sams®. In 1985, Fantastic Sams® was the first U.S.-based salon franchise to go global when it opened its first Canadian location; that same year, Anaheim, Calif.-based Opal Concepts acquired Fantastic Sams. Last September, Beverly, Mass.-based Cheveux LLC, purchased Fantastic Sams® for an undisclosed sum.

To celebrate its 30th anniversary this July, select Fantastic Sams® salons will be offering a choice of six, value-driven commemorative in-salon promotions.

"We're hoping these promotions will drive in new foot traffic and also maybe help to reacquaint lost customers with Fantastic Sams' new updated salon look and expanded
services menu," added Keilt.


Fantastic Sams® (www.FantasticSams.com) is a self-owned corporation with more than 10,000 employees and system revenues of more than $330 million annually. It is the 55th largest franchise company in the world. Fantastic Sams® has been ranked one of the top 50 franchises in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500® list for the past four years, and most recently ranked as 38th in 2005. It has been ranked #1 and #2 in the hair care category since 2000, and has been voted as one of the top 100 Fastest Growing Franchises.

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