Beautiful Vending

October 15, 2006




Born out of frustration from hearing their female friends complaining of frizzy hair, entreprenuers Richard Starrett and Neil Macka took it upon themselves to devise a solution. They came up with the Straight Up machine.

Trading under the name Beautiful Vending Ltd, the two men realised there was a gap in the market, since English weather can turn perfectly styled hair to frizz, ruining a night out for women fixed on having pin-straight hair. It took them a year of research to develop the Straight Up, a patended vending machine that lets women purchase short use of a ceramic straightening iron. The vending machines use professional-grade GHD tongs, "the irons that styled a thousand catwalks", and 90 seconds' use goes for one pound (approx USD 1.85/EUR 1.50).

Offering style-conscious females the opportunity to look their best at all times -– regardless of unpredictable weather -- this is a simple business idea with low start-up costs and serious potential. The business is currently run solely in the United Kingdom, where 500 units have been placed so far, but Beautiful Vending is seeking to grow quickly and franchise opportunities are available worldwide. Press hype regarding the product has been huge in the UK, garnering much interest from club and bar owners. Straight Up machines will of course be a hit anywhere women preen and primp: restaurants, gyms, shopping malls, office buildings...

Website: www.beautifulvending.com
Contact: richard@beautifulvending.com

pro-Life vs pro-choice

Talk Details
Date: 18th Oct 2006 (Wednesday)
Time: 1pm to 2.30pm
Place: SIS NSR 2.2.

Speaker: Mr Andrew Kong (Family Life Society)

He will be addressing the issues of human sexuality, unplanned pregnancies & abortions, as well as to provoke thought on the Pro-Choice vs Pro-Life debate.

Mr Andrew Kong regularly conducts workshops and educational outreach programmes in Secondary Schools and other educational institutions. He is also in charge of the Celebration of Life programme with Family Life Services (FLS) - A pro-life program on human sexuality education for chastity as well as the sanctity of human life.

Family Life Society (FLS) is a non-profit organization that offers counseling and care services as well as educational programmes and resources to families and individuals.