Amazement at the length of time some women spend in the toilets of pubs and nightclubs fine-tuning their hairstyles is the stuff of male bar-rail banter.

However, Scottish entrepreneurs Richard Starrett and Neil McKay saw an opportunity in the phenomenon. They came up with a wall-mounted vending machine that rented the use of a pair of ceramic styling tongs. Their business, Beautiful Vending, has expanded quickly and they are now considering raising external finance to fuel further growth.