Business

The man behind South Africa’s largest beauty salon chain has a new job

Kirsten Minnaar • 6 October 2025

Ian Fuhr, who founded the Sorbet Group, the largest chain of beauty salons in South Africa, is now backing a new beauty brand that is set to take South Africa by storm.

While Fuhr is widely known and respected in the business world today, he built a beauty empire with no university degree and no knowledge of the industry.

Even though Fuhr was excited to go to university, since it meant his mandatory conscription was finished, he found that this wasn’t the place for him.

Young Fuhr was itching to enter the business world, something his father had taught him and his siblings about growing up.

So, he decided to drop out of university and get a job in the music industry, and, for about 18 months, Fuhr worked for a record company.

In 1976, Fuhr finally set his sights on opening his own business. During a trip to the United States, Fuhr’s brother, Rodney, had come across the Kmart Corporation, and he proposed that they should open one in South Africa.

Fuhr was taken by the idea, and, at only 22 years old, opened his first store. Being young and brand new to the business world, Fuhr simply copied Kmart’s name and logo, not realising that he infringed on their trademark.

Opening the business during the height of Apartheid, he also had to navigate South Africa’s difficult political climate. In fact, the store’s opening had to be postponed by two weeks due to the 1976 Soweto uprising.

However, while the timing presented challenges, it also brought opportunities. At the time, there weren’t really any businesses aimed at low-income groups, which were primarily made up of black people.

Seeing an opportunity, Fuhr slashed their prices and took out a four-page ad in the local newspaper to draw the attention of potential customers.

This campaign worked so well that there were stampedes at Kmart’s opening, and someone had even called the police because they believed another riot had broken out.

Building businesses

As a young and inexperienced business owner, Fuhr had to learn how to run a business and manage employees, while handling high volumes of customers.

He also had to figure out how to appeal to black customers and employees when regulations and his isolated upbringing made that difficult.

Through building relationships, implementing new business strategies and using some legal loopholes, Fuhr managed to do this over time.

In the early 1980s, Fuhr left his brother to run Kmart on his own while he pivoted back into the music industry, starting a record company with two well-known artists, Letta Mbulu and her husband, Caiphus Semenya.

Unfortunately, Kmart went into liquidation in 1986 due to the ongoing boycotts in South Africa, and he returned to the store to help save the business.

Although he was able to bring the company out of liquidation, as soon as he did, the Kmart Corporation in the United States sued them.

Although they tried to fight back, they were ultimately forced to change their name. So, in 1988, Kmart was renamed to Super Mart.

Fuhr made another career pivot in 1991, opening a consultancy firm called Labour Link, which aimed to teach companies about race relations in the workplace.

At first, Fuhr was laughed out of the room. However, he came up with the idea for a play about racism in the workplace, which was a huge hit, and soon, he was consulting with some of the biggest companies.

After consulting for seven years, he went back to build up Super Mart before he and his brother sold it to the Edcon Group, which renamed it to JetMart.

Sorbet

While looking for a new project, Fuhr saw a gap in South Africa’s beauty market. Although there were many independent operators, there were no real beauty salon chains.

So, using the money from the Super Mart sale, he began developing the Sorbet Group, rebranding six salons which opened in August 2005.

They had an unheard-of policy where customers didn’t have to pay if they were unhappy with a service, and could return products they didn’t like, even if they had already used them.

This policy gave them a strategic advantage and, paired with their top-notch customer service, the business grew quickly.

In 2017, Sorbet was acquired by Long4Life, a publicly listed company. Fuhr subsequently left Sorbet in February 2019 and went on to set up a new Business and Life coaching organisation called The Hatch Institute.

Today, Sorbet performs 3.6 million treatments annually across 196 stores, including Sorbet Salons, Sorbet Nailbars, Sorbet Hairbars, Sorbet MAN, and Candi&Co. Stores.

In 2023, Clicks acquired Sorbet, leading to a close partnership between the companies. As part of this collaboration, customers can earn points on their Clicks ClubCard with every transaction at Sorbet.

They also teamed up to create an exclusive range of Sorbet-branded products, which are available in Sorbet and Clicks stores.

Popsicle Nail Bars

Today, Fuhr has set his sights on a new venture, Popsicle Nail Bars (Popsicle). This business is a strategic partnership between Fuhr and entrepreneurs Anil and Trisha Bhogayata, the creators of the Popsicle Nail product range.

Having built a strong product-based presence in the professional nail sector, the Bhogayatas are now joining Fuhr to expand Popsicle into a national franchise network of retail nail bars.

With Popsicle’s launch, the group aims to establish a high-impact brand redefining nail care through service excellence, advanced hygiene standards and digital innovation.

“This is not just a salon chain – it’s a scalable business model rooted in service culture,” Fuhr said. “Our goal is to build a brand that sets new industry standards, empowers entrepreneurs, and delivers a consistently exceptional customer experience at every touchpoint.”

Popsicle aims to capture market share by offering a compelling value proposition that merges affordability with premium-quality service. The brand’s distinct positioning is built on five core pillars:

Medical-grade hygiene: All equipment is sterilised to hospital-level protocols, exceeding current industry norms.
Augmented reality (AR) consultations: Clients can preview nail designs in real time through AR tech, enhancing personalisation and decision confidence.
Exclusive signature treatments: Unique manicures and pedicures not currently available elsewhere in South Africa.
First-to-market innovation: Early adoption of international trends and technologies, ensuring Popsicle remains at the forefront of the industry.
Fully integrated brand experience: From in-salon service to professional-grade products, Popsicle presents a unified brand identity and lifestyle offering.

With the first two locations opening in December 2025 at Bedford Centre in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, and Fourways Mall in Fourways, Johannesburg, Popsicle is actively identifying new sites for expansion throughout 2026 and beyond.

The company is now recruiting prospective franchise partners and experienced nail technicians to join its next phase of growth.

“Our franchise model is designed to empower South African entrepreneurs with a turnkey solution built on proven operational systems, comprehensive training and brand equity,” said Trisha Bhogayata. “We’re looking for partners who believe in building community through service.”

Fuhr will continue to lead his work with The Hatch Institute and The Human Bridge Movement, both of which focus on leadership, culture, and customer experience transformation. Popsicle Nail Bars, he said, is a commercial embodiment of the same purpose.

“This business extends my life’s mission – to show that a values-driven service culture is not only good for people, but also a sustainable driver of business success,” he said.