It is part of an expansion plan and marks Indigo Sun’s fourth salon in Yorkshire, with a fifth due to follow within months – all to meet heightened demand. It also brings the firm’s headcount in Yorkshire to 40.

Across the UK the firm, which is headquartered in Stirling, is targeting its expansion on towns or populations centres of at least 100,000 people. In bigger cities, it will look to create clusters of salons, for more streamlined management.

Frank Taylor, the founder and CEO of the family firm, said the Wakefield Road Retail Park location is a perfect snapshot of Indigo Sun’s growth plans for serving an army of customers who spend £500 per year each.

He added: “We have around 18,000 loyal and regular customers across Yorkshire and that number is growing all the time. We’re delighted to be investing so heavily in the area to ensure they have the best possible choice of tanning options in the most convenient locations.

“We’ve just recorded our most successful ever year, as people got back to normal after the pandemic and are determined to start travelling and taking holidays with great enthusiasm.

“The end of lockdown was a clear signal for our customers to return to our salons, including all of our Yorkshire outlets. Across the country they did so in such numbers that at peak periods in 2022 we were serving 140,000 people a week.”

During lockdown Indigo Sun mapped out a growth strategy which will see it open 10 new outlets every year. It also embarked on a refitting and refurbishment programme, bringing an upmarket beach club aesthetic to its salons.

Mr Taylor continued: “Everything now is about location. We are looking for retail sites in towns that are on main arterial routes, offer free parking and have access to a diverse range of other outlets – and our new Huddersfield site is a perfect example.

“It was previously a kitchen design outlet and is part of a parade of three shops with surrounding retailers including a major gym, supermarkets and fast-food outlets. Convenience and diversity are major factors in why we chose this location.”

The new Huddersfield salon is equipped with 13 tanning beds and, over the coming months, the usage will be carefully tracked before Indigo Sun invests a further £50,000 in providing more of the most popular beds.