Featured in: Dunedin Star Weekender, Sunday 25 1987
“Belda House – Stage One Development Completed
New Belda Beauty complex will offer exciting new concepts and Services
On the corner of High and Manse Streets Dunedin stands an old building (formally the Churchill Building), to be renamed Belda House.
An exterior view indicates nothing of the glamour (yet) that is stage two of Belda Holding’s overall development project. But once inside the pink and plush first floor studios and professional salons, an air of stylish elegance pervades in surroundings reminiscent of top beauty/fashion houses overseas.
Belda – a Spanish word meaning “Beautiful Lady” as a beauty centre has been well established and recognised as a leading centre in Dunedin since it commenced operations in 1977. Belda is a name synonymous with looking good and feeling great, their object for every client.
Belda now transformed into a company Belda Holdings Ltd. Purchased the commercial property on High Street in August, 1986 after the realisation that their Octagon premises had become too small for the inevitable expansion and are currently in the process of turning the entire corner site into a complete health and beauty complex.
Stage one is almost complete, though business is as usual on the first floor of the building. A Makeup studio is yet to be added.
The concept of Belda House “to be” is a very new and exciting one for Dunedin . The completely refurbished and upmarket 500sq m area is to eventually be incorporated into a downstairs retail development, totally devoted to beauty and fashion. Two training studios and 5 individual Beauty Therapy Suites already offer a variety of services from Personal consultations on Colours through to Skin Care, makeup, wardrobe analysis, Manicures and treatments and a selection of related beauty courses.
When the move was made from the Octagon to High Street, Fran Muntz handed over the Beauty Therapy division to her trained therapists and in so doing adopted the concept of independent businesses within Belda House. The Therapists lease their suites and work for themselves, paying a share of the total operation expenses, such as the receptionist, electricity etc.
It is the Training Academy where Fran now concentrates her efforts. Here, courses in Health, Beauty and Deportment, Grooming and Modelling and finishing are offered.
Also available are advanced modelling classes, choreography and the recently introduced highly successful certificate courses in “Effective communication, and Company Image training. Ideal for those people in the public eye wanting to improve their presentation and communications skills.
As well, Belda is available to speak to women’s organisations, giving presentations and lectures on any particular subject. Belda also acts as an Agency for Modelling assignments.
A growing Belda influence lines in the training of Beauty and Colour Consultants. Fran tutors selected students in business management through to client consultations, supporting and enabling them to set up business for themselves.
Applications for the course are made from all over the country and there are 21 Colour Consultants now operating independently throughout New Zealand under the Belda Banner.
There is no doubt that beauty conscious women in Dunedin are well catered for and cared for by Fran Muntz, owner/operator of Belda.
Beauty Care is rather more than a skin-deep subject and few people are aware of the extremely demanding study required to qualify in a number of specified areas and the detailed knowledge necessary to practise successfully in the many aspects of the Beauty Industry.
Belda’s success is apparent and its name has gone from strength to strength as the result of Fran Muntz’s dedication.
Fran Muntz has impressive credentials:
She is a member of the Modelling Association of America, a member of the New Zealand branch of CIDESCO, a member of the Australian Federation of Aestheticians and Beauty Therapists, a member of the Faculty of Physiastrics, U.K.
A diploma-holder in Hairdressing, Cosmetology, Beauty Therapy and Modelling. A graduate of The International College of Hairdressing – Christchurch. A graduate with Honours in Modelling and Finishing from Jason’s Modelling school and a Regional Director of Nutri Metics International – to say nothing of having spent 3 years as a Secondary School teacher.
She is constantly studying new technology and services to add to the long list of treatments Belda has to offer.
Belda House will be a Fashion Industry Complex
While the present facilities at Belda suit their existing clientele well, Fran Muntz sees the new Belda Development as a service industry catering for more than people seeking a “new face” or “image”.
The aim of the Belda House project is to ultimately have a selection of outlets allied to the beauty and fashion industry in the one completed complex – Belda House.
On the street level, a Gift-Basket shop is already operating, offering a personalised home delivery service.
Some of the proposed Belda House retail outlets will be independently owner-operator, while others will be run under the guidance of Fran Muntz.
Plans for the downstairs area are to include a Beauty Corner, selling Accessories and products allied to beauty, and a designer boutique which will retail exclusive one-off high fashion clothing designed and made on the premises.
The boutique will also be selling two established New Zealand fashion labels and the Belda designer will also be available to produce exclusive personal garments.
Regular lunch-time fashion shows will be arranged in one of the upstairs studios using Belda Models.
A hairdressing salon is also intended, though there is still an opportunity for progressive business operators in the health or beauty trade to join in.
To finally unite the independent Belda House operators into the one complex and allow for easy flow of clients. Stage two of the Belda House retail development will begin next month and is timed to be operating by July this year.”