Patrick Harrison is the general manager of Apollo Blinds. He was the architect of the new branding for the company which has propelled the business forward. The company has a network of franchise showrooms across the UK and has ambitious plans to increase the size of the business over the next five years.

Blinds & Shutters finds out more about Patrick...

What got you started in this industry?
I was looking for a fresh challenge after heading up a team which transformed a loss-making financial services division of Thomas Cook into a highly profitable company with a multimillion pound turnover.

I joined Apollo Blinds because I saw the company as a sleeping giant and recognised it had massive potential.

What do you feel was the company’s big breakthrough?
Undoubtedly the repositioning of the Apollo Blinds brand. When I joined the company the brand was dated and looked more like a bucket shop (a backstreet travel agency).

We have created a modern, clean and stylish brand which is very closely aligned to the demands of consumers. The new Apollo Blinds reflects our ability to provide advice and consultancy about the pivotal role that window blinds play in defining the mood and atmosphere of any living or work space. As our strapline suggests, the new Apollo Blinds provides inspiring ideas which are expertly delivered.
 
What do you feel is the greatest threat to the industry today?
It’s the prevailing industry mindset that sales of window blinds are only driven by price. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. Yes of course there is a part of the market which is price sensitive and there will always be punters who will only buy three blinds for £99, but this is a tiny fraction of the market.

The market has shifted significantly over the last decade and this has been driven by the consumer. They are much more aware of how to use products like window blinds to define the mood and atmospheres of the different living spaces around their homes – and a big part of this has been the general exposure to TV makeover programmes, or the Changing Rooms effect as we call it.
The vast majority of consumers want advice, ideas and inspiration and the purchasing decisions are now based on the quality of the brand, product and service they are buying into.
 
Where does your company draw inspiration from for its products?
Apollo Blinds is part of Hunter Douglas which is the world’s largest manufacturer of window blinds. To remain at the cutting edge, the company invests heavily in researching and developing new product lines and has a huge team of market researchers and interior designers who are constantly creating new ranges.

We recently launched three new collection books which had very distinct themes based around how consumers wanted to use blinds and what atmospheres they wanted to create. For example our new roller blinds collections were designed to be ultra-contemporary and were inspired by the coffee shop culture in New York.
 
What advice would you give someone entering the industry today?
Join Apollo Blinds! If not, the only advice I could give is to always think about the customer and give them advice on what they actually need as opposed to merely selling them what they think they want.
 
How has the industry changed over the years?
The big manufacturers are definitely dominating the market more than ever before and I can only see this increasing. Even in the time I’ve been involved in the industry I’ve seen the decline in the numbers of smaller local manufacturers.
 
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
It would be giving the rest of the industry the confidence to sell the benefits of blinds and not get hung up on price.
 
How do you relax?
Spending time with the family is my main priority. I’m a keen fan of rugby and football and I’m also a dab hand in the kitchen.
 
Who do you most admire in business?
My greatest inspiration was a former manager of mine from my days in financial services sales. Roy Bisley saw something in me and pushed me to achieve my potential and his advice has served me well throughout my career.
 
What is the best thing about your job?
Apollo Blinds only succeeds because of the strength and capability of our network of franchisees. Therefore it is vital that we help them to continue building robust and profitable businesses under the Apollo Blinds brand so that we all prosper. Therefore, the most pleasing part of the job is working with franchisees to maximise the potential for their own business, and seeing them achieve their goals and aspirations through Apollo Blinds is a very pleasurable and satisfying experience.
 
What is your favourite pastime?
Sport is a passion of mine and in my younger days I was a keen rugby player. Nowadays I play squash and am in a league at my local health club.
 
What do you think will be the future big changes for the industry?
As a product, a window blind has a role to play in improving the overall energy efficiency of a house. We know that Hunter Douglas has an ongoing R&D programme researching demonstrable ways in which window blinds can reduce the carbon footprint of a living or office space. The challenge here is to continue developing products which not only provide practical solutions with aesthetic appeal, but also have proven energy efficiency qualities.
 
What has been your worst business decision?
It’s not a decision per se but I did say that Ali-Wood would not sell. How wrong I was!
 
What has been your best business decision?
Changing the Apollo Blinds brand. We’ve given our franchisees a brand to be truly proud of and we are reaping the rewards because sales are significantly up and we have a queue of people who want to become franchisees using the Apollo Blinds brand to sell window blinds.
 
‘Live to work’ or ‘work to live’?
No question about it – work to live. When I was young and fiercely ambitious I did the live to work thing and it got me a lot of the material things I thought I craved. However, spending time with my family has been the most important thing in my life for a long time now.