LONDON, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresha, the world's leading AI-powered booking platform for beauty and wellness, is now the leading software powering barber businesses globally, backed by 108% year-on-year growth in active barber partners and a rapidly expanding barbering community across major markets including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Fresha's leadership extends beyond its technology, with some of the industry's most influential barbers, educators and entrepreneurs representing the platform internationally, alongside long-term partnerships with major barbering events and communities around the world.
Fresha's growing barbering community spans independent professionals and barbershops through to some of the industry's most recognized franchises, including MENSPIRE, Rascals, Ted's Grooming Room, Gould Barbers, and Blackbox. Its global ambassador network reflects the increasingly international nature of the profession, bringing together leading barbers and educators from the UK, Europe and North America, including Josh Lamonaca, Sam Bentham, Thaddeus Jayaseelan, Andrea Amighetti, Alexi Michael and US-based Yadiel "A-Rod" Rodriguez. The network continues to expand, with barber and educator Cal Newsome and Sheldon Edwards, educator and owner of HD CUTZ, among the latest industry names to join Fresha as global ambassadors.
Beyond the platform, Fresha now supports a global calendar of more than 25 trailblazing professional hair and selfcare events and activations. This includes a landmark five-year partnership with HairCon Powered by Fresha in the UK, a multi-year exclusive global partnership with HAIRFEST, and an expanding presence across North America, where Fresha has brought its barbering community together through major industry moments in Toronto and continues to deepen its presence across the United States. Fresha's wider barbering footprint now stretches from London and Manchester to Toronto and the US, as well as Australia, Bali, Romania and beyond.
That international momentum reflects a barbering industry that is becoming increasingly ambitious, entrepreneurial and commercially sophisticated. Across established barbering markets such as the UK and fast-growing communities across North America, independent barbers are building powerful personal brands, established shops are expanding into multiple locations, and some of the profession's biggest names are developing academies, education businesses, products and international communities alongside their work behind the chair. Fresha has grown with that ambition, giving businesses the infrastructure to manage bookings, payments, clients, teams, commissions, marketing, reporting and online discovery from one connected platform, while continuing to introduce AI-powered technology designed to take more of the operational workload away from professionals.
For barbers, where the person delivering the service is often also responsible for managing and growing the business, that technology has a particularly important role to play. Fresha allows independent professionals to manage their entire operation from one place, while giving larger barbershops and multi-location groups the controls and visibility required to manage increasingly complex businesses. Newer capabilities, including AI Concierge, can answer client calls while barbers are busy behind the chair, helping clients book, reschedule and manage appointments using live information from the business. Professional Profiles, Online Reputation and Smart Website Builder give barbers powerful ways to showcase their work, build their reputation and grow their presence beyond the shop itself.
"Barbering is one of the most entrepreneurial communities within the global selfcare industry, and the growth we're seeing reflects just how quickly these businesses are evolving," said William Zeqiri, Founder and CEO of Fresha. "We want Fresha to give barbers the infrastructure to build serious, enduring businesses, whether that means running one chair exceptionally well, growing a team, opening multiple locations or building an international brand. Seeing our active barber partners more than double in a year is incredibly exciting, but for us this is only the beginning. We intend to keep investing in the technology, people and communities pushing barbering forward."
"Barbering has changed enormously, and the opportunity for the next generation is so much bigger than simply becoming great behind the chair," said Josh Lamonaca, Co-founder of MENSPIRE Salon and MENSPIRE Academy and Head of Hair Education at Fresha. "Barbers are building teams, opening locations, educating internationally and creating brands with global audiences. As those ambitions grow, the systems behind the business become incredibly important. What excites me about Fresha is that it isn't looking at barbering from the outside. It is listening to the people within it and building technology that can grow alongside where we want to take this industry."
The rapid growth of Fresha's barbering community reflects a wider ambition to become more than the software used behind the chair. From its established barbering community across the UK and Europe to its expanding presence throughout the United States and wider North American market, Fresha is investing in the technology, people and communities shaping the profession at a global level. From independent professionals building loyal local client bases to established brands expanding teams, locations and academies internationally, Fresha is building the infrastructure to support a barbering industry that is becoming more ambitious, connected and influential around the world.
About Fresha
Fresha is the world's leading AI-powered booking platform for beauty and wellness, trusted by over 140,000 partner businesses across more than 120 countries. Its fully integrated ecosystem spans scheduling, payments, marketing, team management and a global consumer marketplace, giving beauty and wellness businesses everything they need to operate, grow and scale. The Fresha Marketplace connects millions of consumers with salons, spas, barbershops and wellness studios worldwide, with over one million monthly downloads and more than $1.4 billion in monthly transaction value. To learn more, visit fresha.com.
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