Louvolite is a key supplier to blind manufacturers and continues to be hugely influential in the range of products offered by the industry. Steve Birtles of Louvolite finds himself in the hot seat

Q. What got you started in this industry?

A. I came into this industry from a background in Retail Management and Sales. I had reached a point in that career where I wanted to be in a position to dictate the number of customers I could see rather than be restricted through store footfall. A role in field sales seemed to tick all the right boxes.

Q. Describe your company in one sentence?

A. How difficult is that! Ok here goes….
Louvolite is an independent British company wholly engaged in the design, manufacture and distribution of high quality, innovative window blind systems and fabrics to the International window blind manufacturing industry.


Q.What do you feel was the company’s big break through?

A. I concur with the principle that the ‘lead husky always gets the best view.’

It is important that we ensure Louvolite’s customer base remains the best served and supported in the industry. In order to retain our position as market leaders Louvolite is continuously breaking new ground both with product performance and service levels; some of these are obvious and high profile, others are more subtle, however they are all important.

If I were pushed I would point to two key business decisions that impacted on our company’s future. In December 1980, the Louvolite board decided it was appropriate to expand our area of activity and to supply components and fabrics to appropriate companies who wanted to move from third party window blind retailer status to fully fledged blind manufacturers. This initiated Louvolite’s move away from blind production as our core business activity and resulted in us focusing our efforts on system and fabric design, manufacture and distribution activities.

I would also suggest that the company’s shift from the position of what could be viewed as a   production lead company to a marketing lead company, first seen in the programme launches of 1990, also stands out in my mind as a key factor in Louvolite’s development. Simply put, a typical production lead company finds a market for what it can produce, a marketing lead company establishes their customer’s requirements and provides products and services that are tailored to satisfy those requirements.  This definite shift in policy allowed Louvolite to significantly expand our offerings and allow our customers access to products that met their needs.


Q. What do you feel is the biggest threat to the industry today?

A. It is possible that one of the biggest threats could be one that is self-inflicted.

Our industry has grown relatively quickly and at a pace that has outperformed the majority of similar retailing sectors. It has shown an ability and desire to react quickly to changes forced upon it, either through legislation, the whims of fashion or other influencing factors.

However the industry has to be mindful not to undersell itself. The level of service received by the end user – domestic or commercial – is outstanding. Free measuring, free fitting, (of course nothing is ever free although it might not be costed) two-three day turnaround (do people really need a blind two days after they have ordered it?) and prices that do not always reflect the value of a made to measure product.

Occasionally there could be accusations that sections of the industry are almost  “selling a pound for 90 pence” and we must ensure that the quality of product supplied and service given, is not eroded by a lemming like rush to buy business – after all we know what happens to lemmings don’t we!

We must act responsibly to ensure this industry continues to expand through innovation, quality and service and achieves sufficient return on investment in its product offerings to do so successfully.

The alternative could be an industry bankrupt of principles, quality products and good working practices, devoid of funds and investment failing to satisfy customer demands and service requirements – not an option I would like to contemplate too long.


Q. Where does your company draw inspiration from for its products?

A. Representatives of Louvolite visit around 45 blind manufacturing companies every working day of the week. Our team have two ears and one mouth and are trained to use them in that order; of course they are the mouthpiece of the company but they have to be the eyes and ears also.

We tend to apply the concept of  “seek first to understand,” in other words establish what it is your customers want and why.
Significant and ongoing efforts from our internal teams in R & D and design functions bring the ingredients of inspiration, engineering, function, fashion and flair to the mix – not to mention perspiration! Needless to say these few words cannot in any way reflect the energy and effort, not to mention finance that is invested in system development or fabric collections. Our teams travel the world to ensure they are up to date with trends or raw material developments and manufacturing machinery resulting in Louvolite products being second to none in terms of aesthetic appeal and required performance.

Finally, the commercial application for the product has to tick all the boxes in order for our customers to benefit. Don’t fool yourself – you may believe you have the best product in the world but if your customer or the end consumer does not see a need for it, it’s success will be limited.


Q. What advice would you give to someone entering the industry today?

A. I think the specific advice would be wholly dependent on what role the individual may play in the industry, however in any role the ethics of hard work, integrity and an ability to learn must be at the forefront.

In general terms I would advise that the industry is dynamic and vibrant and full of individuals who will typically act in a fair and responsible way to new people and new ideas. In the main the individuals in the industry are straight shooters and respond well to those who do the same.


Q. How has the industry changed over the years?

A. I think the major changes I have experienced have been in the variety of product groups available through the industry to the consumer and the depth of options available within those product groups.

Sadly I am old enough to recall the first fabric collection swatches Louvolite produced to support our fledgling customer base – not quite the Henry Ford statement of  ‘any colour as long as it is black,’ but not too far away. 

Two vertical louvre fabrics; Louvotex and Louvolux in six or seven colourways each; 5” only (127mm to those younger readers).
Contrast that to today’s offering within the Louvolite programme of over 1100 fabrics across vertical, roller, pleated, roman and panel blind systems not to mention Perfect Fit products and woven wood.


Q. Why so many – Is this blindmaker driven or supplier driven?

A. I think this is a little bit like the chicken and egg scenario however I do believe that the depth of products offered can only be supported if there are real commercial gains available and to that end the final answer must be they are consumer driven.
As part of the raft of changes Louvolite made to become a marketing lead company we introduced the concept of a cut length fabric supply programme in 1990; in one stroke this concept revolutionised product offerings made to the consumer. Previously blind manufacturing companies typically only stocked what they knew they would sell and the colour palette offered to the consumer would reflect this; i.e. beige, white and cream. By offering a cut length service across all products Louvolite effectively erected a safety net for the blind manufacturer to offer everything within the fabric collections and let consumer choice dictate the product purchased.

This allowed fabric manufacturers to become more adventurous with fabric development as the end result would always stand or fall on its own merits in the eyes of the consumer. Fabric programmes now contain combinations of basic products, classic designs, high fashion items and performance related programmes, they have evolved this way due to end user demand and the consumer can today select the product which best meets their individual circumstances.

It also has to be said that the quality of the fabric presenters and the images and photography now used in marketing materials these days is a credit to the industry and really helps the consumer visualise how the product will work for them.


Q. If you could change one thing within the industry what would it be?

A. In fairness I believe our company has helped change and influence many things within the industry, all of them positively, and will continue to do so.

You can either affect change or be affected by it. Louvolite tends to fall into the category of wanting to affect change and will maintain a view that product lines and services should be continuously reviewed to establish if positive changes can be made to improve product performance and or customer satisfaction.


Q. What do you think will be the future big changes in the industry?

A. If I had a crystal ball I would pick out six numbers for Saturday’s lotto, lie back and relax.

Let us first accept that our industry is typically full of entrepreneurs and to that end there is a solid foundation of individuals and companies always ready to ‘push the envelope’ as it were. An ideal example of this would be that, until a short time ago, people always drilled and screwed brackets into place to fit blinds. Louvolite Perfect Fit changed all that and showed the world there was a better way.  This sort of revolution will continue as the make up of our industry dictates this shall be the way.

I would also argue that the industry is now mature enough to identify and act upon key marketing opportunities which, perhaps for the first time, will be able to underline the inclusion of industry products as a key element in the design and function of a building’s heating and ventilation system.

The obvious and historically accepted benefits of our products should be re-enforced by data which supports the ability of solar shading systems to significantly impact on the control of solar gain, light invasion and thermal efficiency.

In an age where consumer awareness of global climatic change and the ramifications thereof – plus the desire to reduce energy costs to a minimum – the capability of solar shading systems must start to play an ever increasing role in building management and occupant comfort levels.

This should allow companies involved in our industry to focus on providing the correct data information presented in the correct way to inform an eager consumer market of the additional virtues of the products we offer.

Such a result should assist greatly in ensuring a long and satisfying future for the industry and those companies involved.

• Louvolite
• Let us have your feedback on this or any other article