THE ONE is a snappily dressed Italian and avid Chelsea supporter who spent his early years in a small shop in Clapham, South London.

The other is an historic University, housed within ancient halls, famed for its academic prowess and world leading research.

The billion pound question is: what does the one have to teach the other?

Toni Mascolo, one half of hairdressing super-brand Toni&Guy, has teamed himself and his business up with Durham University to help them investigate the secrets behind success.

The research project is looking into how leadership style affects customer satisfaction, and how that drives a company to excel.

Meeting with Toni in a seminar room at Durham’s Ushaw College, it is easy to see why his management style was of particular interest.

“Treat your client as your guest and treat your staff like your client” he says. “Doing a good job is always most important. As an entrepreneur you cannot set out just to make money. If you say ‘I want £2m’ you will never get it. You must do a good job, make your staff happy, make your clients happy, and then the money will come.”

Durham has handed out surveys to 180 stores in Toni&Guy’s UK operation and quizzed everyone from regional managers down to hundreds of thousands of customers. It is the largest survey the company has ever undertaken. Of particular interest to the University is its franchise model, which means every manager has invested some of their own money in the business.

“I learnt a lot from different cultures” Toni adds. “I respect the Japanese and their business sense, the Chinese and the way they work, but I learnt franchise from the Americans.

“We were the first franchise almost in Europe. Wimpy was the only other one at the time. It was so new that when I went to the banks and insurers they didn’t know what I was talking about.”

It took years for the first two Toni&Guy stores to open in London, but after the first franchise opened in Brighton in 1988 the business grew at an astonishing rate. It allowed the company to open anywhere, quickly and at minimal cost. The Richmond store opened with only £10,000.

Now the brand is expanding into India, teaching over 100,000 people worldwide and sponsoring London Fashion Week. It is a phenomenal success story, the secrets of which Durham are keen to unlock when they publish their results in three months time.

As for Toni&Guy, the feedback they have got has given them renewed focus on what is important to them and how crucial it is to get the basics right. Gaynor Hodge, the national franchise manager, said: “There have been a few comments that make you think: how can we not be getting that right? It doesn’t matter how successful the business is, if we’re not welcoming the customer properly or making them a great cup of coffee when they come in, we’re not doing enough.”