Two Christchurch business owners have been recognised as the best in the country. Husband-and-wife duo Anjum and Mustafa Primuswala took out the prestigious title of New Zealand Franchise Owners of the Year, and their Riccarton team leader Sonny Opao was named New Zealand Team Leader of the Year, at the 2026 Just Cuts Franchise Owners Conference in Queenstown.
Just Cuts is the largest hairdressing network in the Southern Hemisphere, and the conference brought together salon owners from across New Zealand and Australia.
Anjum and Mustafa own Just Cuts Palms, Just Cuts Northlands and Just Cuts Riccarton, and their Franchise Owner of the Year win recognises the growth, profitability and team retention they've achieved across their three salons over the past year. Sonny's Team Leader of the Year award was judged on team retention, sales performance and leadership.
Anjum and Mustafa opened their first salon, Just Cuts Palms, in April 2017 and Just Cuts Northlands and Just Cuts Riccarton followed four to five years ago, when the pair took over both Salons from a former Just Cuts franchisee.
"We want to say a huge thank you to our team and our customers, because this award is really theirs as much as ours," Anjum said. "To be recognised like this is an absolute honour."
"It's been a big year for us, and to have Sonny recognised alongside us makes it even better," Anjum said. "He's been with us at Riccarton since we took the Salon on, and this award is exactly what he deserves for the way he leads that team."
Anjum said more Christchurch locals were choosing Just Cuts as they discovered the ease of the no appointment, affordable Style Cuts model.
"Not everyone can plan their week around a booking," she said. "Being able to just walk in when it suits them, without worrying about the cost, is exactly why we're seeing so many new faces."
Anjum said the Just Cuts model also been core to the business's growth from a team perspective, and increasingly appealing to stylists themselves.
"Given we don't run on set appointments, we can be flexible with shifts which has made us a popular choice for Stylits particularly working mums who want to keep hairdressing but need it to fit around family life."