Blinds & Shutters learns what this recent acquisition will bring to the Hunter Douglas Group

News of blinds manufacturers falling prey to the recession is sadly all too common today, but every now and then one survives hard times to emerge stronger – a happy ending not just for the company in question but for its new owner and the market in general.

Such is the case with UK Blinds which, despite having developed a strong brand name and built a network of retailers over 20 years, suffered problems that resulted in liquidation in August 2010. Step forward Hunter Douglas which, as a supplier to UK Blinds, would have been sorry to see it go. The group also realised that an acquisition could be beneficial for all involved.

Managing director Russell Malley takes up the story: “An opportunity came along for Hunter Douglas to acquire the brand names of UK Blinds Direct and [sister brand] G8 Window Fashions, which enabled us to move into a segment of the market which previously we hadn't encountered.”

UK Blinds' range of blinds was tailored more towards the price-sensitive end of the market, beneath Hunter Douglas's luxury brands such as Luxaflex and Sunway, for example, and was restricted to traditional products: rollers, romans, venetians and verticals. It was, however, a quality, made-to-measure range, says Russell, and there were no plans to mess with the formula, but simply to build on it and grow its reputation.

“We analysed the business to start with and it was a solid business model. We saw synergies, so we could basically broaden the range of what the UK Blinds retailers were currently selling.

“It's a strong brand so it's not necessary to twiddle around with it anyway; what it is necessary to do is keep fuelling the relationship with the brand and the consumer which has over the last three years or so diminished so it's got to be rejuvenated.”

In addition to a strong brand and quality products, UK Blinds had many other points in its favour, including “good service; a reasonable variety of products, although that could be advanced; the training which UK Blinds offers its retailers; the marketing and sales support it offers; and regular customer promotions and incentives which frequently take place.”

It's tempting, then, to ask, with all this going for it, how did UK Blinds fail? Russell does not shy away from the question.

“It was a lack of investment; a confusing structure; there was a maximum capacity of volume, and once it went over that there was nowhere to go. And at the same time they were coming under price pressure from other people, because the product that they were making was a me-too product. And of course the recession hit about three years ago as we all know; they were one of the victims of it.

“Hunter Douglas has got answers for all of those pitfalls. It's a very stable company; we plan to invest heavily in the UK Blinds brand. We have almost unlimited capacity in terms of meeting demands from customers. And we will be introducing products which are new to UK Blinds, for example wooden shutters, awnings, made-to-measure wood and new roller, pleated and vertical collections.”

Already this year Hunter Douglas has invested money into UK Blinds. It intends to increase the visibility of the brand by improved marketing support; new websites; retailer advertising to the consumer; and the sponsoring of consumer exhibition shows (you can catch them at Grand Designs Live in London later this month). While keeping things simple in terms of holding on to UK Blinds' core values, Hunter Douglas has big plans for its new brand.

“We aim to modernise the business model to take into account the changing markets and demographics, with a large recruitment drive aiming for a retailer in every town with more than 200,000 inhabitants,” explains Russell.

With such goals in mind it's no wonder Hunter Douglas didn't waste any time in getting UK Blinds back up and running. It recruited key operators from the liquidated company “over the weekend” and employed some new salespeople to get the team up to full strength. The transition was not without its teething troubles, as the introduction of unfamiliar systems caused some confusion with the customer base, but Russell is confident they have now re-established the brand, the quality and service levels, which recently resulted in a record week in terms of sales.

There's no room for complacency now, though; this isn't about a 'quick-fix' solution. “We're in it for the long term,” says Russell; “we're not here to do a quick job then walk away. We've got long-term plans as well as short-term – certainly we plan to be here for at least the next 20 years. We do see UK Blinds as a very strong brand and we see it as a great addition to the brands Hunter Douglas already has in the UK.”

For more information, or to find out about joining the UK Blinds retailer network, visit UK Blinds or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .