A new 20-unit agreement will not only help hair removal concept Sugar Sugar expand in Florida, but also provide the emerging brand with knowledgeable partners.
The Arizona-based skincare company signed a deal with the husband-and-wife team of Patrick and Lynette Meglio. Both bring extensive experience to the brand, including a background in franchising.
Patrick Meglio purchased several Blimpie Subs units in 1988 and eventually developed 70 locations with the sandwich brand. He was also involved in brands such as Noble Roman’s Pizza, Wow American Eats and Moxie Salon.
Lynette Meglio, meanwhile, worked for 25 years in media companies and marketing operations. A relocation to Florida brought an opportunity to combine their knowledge. They’ll develop Sugar Sugar in South Florida, up to Orlando.
“We started looking into different options and stumbled upon sugaring as a new franchise opportunity,” Lynette Meglio said. “We did more research, discovered the founders of Sugar Sugar, and we loved them, personally and professionally.”
“I was blown away by how advanced they were for a small chain,” Patrick Meglio said. “They had all the right answers, and they are very dedicated.”
Sugar Sugar has two locations in operation, both in Arizona, and a third is set to open soon. All are company-owned, but several franchise locations are in the pipeline, according to founder and CEO Aimee Blake. She started the company 10 years ago after realizing there was a lack of alternatives for hair removal. Sugaring is a hair removal technique that uses a paste of sugar, lemon and water instead of traditional hot wax.
Patrick and Lynette Meglio
“I couldn’t shake the idea that this was something that the market needed, and that men and women would prefer because it’s such a better option for hair removal,” Blake said. “I sat down at the kitchen table and began putting together what would be Sugar Sugar.”
Several years later, Blake said the brand had its franchise disclosure document ready and was prepared to begin franchising when the pandemic hit.
“We focused on what we could do after that,” Blake said. “We continued getting things ready so that when we were ready, we could hit the ground running with franchising.”
Those efforts were restarted late in 2021, and now the company is onboarding franchisees like the Meglios.
“I couldn’t ask for a better power couple,” Blake said. “They come with such a wealth of knowledge. Choosing Sugar Sugar out of all the concepts out there felt great and they come with such good information.”
Lynette Meglio said they were hooked on the brand because of its small average unit size, ranging from 1,000 to 1,200 square feet, and its ability to tap a market of people looking for something different.
“The smaller footprint of the location means it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of capital for people to get a franchise started,” she said. “We also like their services. Because sugaring is organic, when you remove the hair on the skin, you can then do a spray tan. Whereas with waxing, you can’t because the wax leaves residue. Between the sugaring service, the spray tan and the facial offerings, we thought those all complement each other.”
Blake said those services will work in the Sunshine State the same way they have in Arizona.
“I think the things we offer, hair removal and the organic spray tanning, will play well in Florida,” Blake said. “Those people are already looking for those services, and providing it to them will get the Florida clientele excited.”
