A NEW beauty salon is bringing a touch of class to a Darlington shopping street.

Town mayor, Paul Baldwin, and mayoress, Kim Baldwin, were the special guests at the official opening of the new Guinot beauty salon in High Row.

The salon is the first franchise in the country to be opened by the luxury skincare brand, and is the latest business to receive support from the High Street Innovation Fund, provided by the government.

The aim of the funding is to improve the appearance of vacant town centre properties, and the new salon now occupies the former Priceless Shoes store, which had been empty since February 2009.

At Saturday's opening Councillor Baldwin said: “It is the first franchise to open in the whole of the country, which proves that Darlington is a great place to be and shows we are bucking the trend.

“It is really nice to see people starting new businesses here. It brings more diversity to High Row which will bring more shoppers and more people to Darlington.”

The new salon, which offers beauty treatments and its own range of skincare products, will be run by franchisee, Marie Jordan.

“It brings something different to Darlington,” she said. “We have a very high standard but are affordable too; we can offer something for everyone.”

For more information on treatments call 01325-468353 or visit the salon in High Row.