JULY NEWSLETTER 2025
Highlights
We hope everyone has had the chance to enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine we’ve seen this month! Fingers crossed for more warm sunny days throughout the summer🌞
Here’s a round-up of exciting updates, highlights, team wins and competitor insights from across the business throughout July.
What’s Happening: Installations
Field Update from Rich Jones
“Brand Everything”
It’s been great seeing everyone in their new uniforms this month! Our branding is now front and centre—literally. Just this week, one of our team members was approached at a petrol station by someone who noticed the bold logo printed on the back of their shirt. That kind of visibility speaks volumes—brand everything and let the work speak for itself. 💥
Project Surveys – Going the Extra Mile 📏
Survey work is becoming more challenging, especially when it comes to access and site-specific demands. In the past, most surveys took about an hour—but that’s changing. Architects keep us on our toes, and sometimes blinds are an afterthought in their plans, especially when it comes to accessing roof spaces.
This month, a big shout-out to Ryan, who tackled a particularly tricky survey and handled it with skill and style. These kinds of jobs take serious planning and attention—thanks for delivering.
We’re looking forward to see the finished Installation.
🧠 Quote of the Month
Take pride in what you build and let every install be a reflection of your skill, focus, and integrity.
Thanks again for your dedication, professionalism, and the energy you bring every day. You’re not just installing blinds—you’re building a brand we can all be proud of.
— Rich
Installation of the Month
The Brief
An apartment where the window to the bedroom is a huge arch which spans the entire wall. The client had fitted curtains to part of the glazing and despite contact with numerous blind companies was unable to find a solution for the curved windows around the perimeter.
UNTIL THEY CAME TO US!
The Solution
A combination of our Pure Aspect Gable blinds for the upper, shallower curves and our Pure GS Roof Style Gable blinds for the lower, steeper curves.
We were able to motorise the upper gables in difficult to access areas and provide precision curved cuts to the lower manual blinds.
The client at last can enjoy a good night’s sleep during the lighter evenings and early sunrises and were very grateful. They mentioned that other apartments in the same block all face the same challenge and none had found a solution that worked. A real stamp of confidence in our capability and quality.
Proof, as they say, is in the pudding. When we say we can do it, we mean it.
This success belongs to all corners of our company — from the Office Team to Sales, Factory, and our Installations crew. It’s a prime example of what collaboration, skill, and commitment can achieve.
Wedding season is in full swing 💒
Recently Dan and Rob had to revisit the installation of blinds at Wryesdale Park.
A stunning wedding venue on the Wryesdale Estate, near Scotton in Lancashire, we fitted blinds in March of 2024 to the atrium in the ‘party barn’, where up to 200 guests can dance the night away after the ceremony.
We were contacted during the building process to provide a shading solution so that the guests would have a comfortable environment to party in and our Pure Duo motorised SuperCell roof blinds provided the perfect solution.
All was well until a contractor was called in to carry out some sand blasting, which sadly for the owners caused considerable damage to the blinds. Not so sad for us though, as they were left with no choice but to replace the whole blind installation. Having negotiated a fair discounted price, for the repeat business, the client was happy to proceed with a like for like replacement and is once again over the moon with our works and the benefit the installation gives to the wedding guests.
Dan and Rob did have to work a little harder second time around though, as a scissor lift was used on the first install, to allow easy passage along the length of the atrium, which is interrupted by many tie bars! On the second installation though the flooring was in place and was too fragile to support the weight of a scissor lift, so we had to use towers that had to be manually erected and then taken down to move along and re-erected to clear each tie bar. Well done Dan and Rob for the extra effort to deliver a stunning installation.
What’s Happening: Sales
Sale of the Month
Make mine a pint!
In March we received an enquiry from The Molson Coors Brewing Company. They had recently relocated their offices within Burton on Trent to be closer to their UK Brewery site, which has links to the town dating back to 1744.
Colin met with Theresa, their Property and Facilities Manager to discuss their requirements and learned that the offices are within an existing building which has been owned by the Molson company for generations and has been used as part of National Brewery Heritage Trust to preserve the brewery heritage.
Repair and renovation works commenced in 2023 culminating in a large open office area within a central atrium, with large gable windows on the upper floor and wide windows to the ground floor. Whilst other rooms/areas have had blinds specified within the renovation contract, the commercial supplier was unable to provide a solution for the large gable shapes and wide windows, and it soon became apparent that working in a central atrium was difficult due to the excessive glare and heat that the uncovered windows provided. Music to Colin’s ears!
The solution Colin provided was our Duette Pure Aspect Gable blinds and our Duette Pure Free-hanging window blinds using Pure Power 10 motors. Being able to provide a solution to their problem meant the order was placed!
There is the possibility of more windows that need covering, so watch this space for updates on installation and hopefully future works.
Colin is always at home in a Brewery 🍻
(Hook Norton Brewery Tour Xmas 2023)
Spotlight on Innovation
We love a challenge!
Sometimes it seems that architects and house builders are deliberately making window shapes that can’t be covered, which presents a difficult situation for the homeowner. Paul Herrington had one such enquiry for an upside down triangular shaped window in a bathroom.
Privacy and insulation are key requirements, but when the shape doesn’t lend itself to an inverted Aspect gable shape or GS roof style gable model, what do we do??
We do what we do best, come up with a solution!
Mining the depths of Kevin’s experience, a hybrid model combining an RS3 roof blind and GS gable blind was proposed. The twist? It was set to run from side to side, rather than the traditional top to bottom.
The blind was specified as a Pure 10 12v motor with battery, to negate the need to manually move with wet hands, while in the bath (!) and SuperCell Dimout fabric provides the privacy and insulation required.
A unique blind for a unique window, superbly surveyed and installed by Rob Drummond.
Well done to all involved.
What’s Happening: Factory
Exciting News! 🚀
We are introducing the new and exclusive:
Pure Power 10 – 12V Tensioned Motor – Battery Operation Only!
The Pure Power Tensioned Motor provides a sleek, mains-free solution for side-return extensions and conservatories with predominantly solid walls. It is perfectly designed for rectangular and shaped conservatory roofs, roof-style gables, and arched blinds. This innovative motor is set to transform the way you approach these installations, offering a fantastic alternative to the PureSolo, Quad, Duo, and Zero – eliminating the need for trunking, and a clean, minimalist aesthetic..
The battery-only design removes the need for mains/low voltage cables, delivering a neat appearance. Plus, it’s fully compatible with all Pure Power Remotes and Home Hubs, ensuring effortless control and seamless integration.
Specialist Blinds are exclusively offering the latest in motor technology — This exciting update will be published to your Product Manuals within the next few weeks! 🎉✨
July Reviews Showcase
We’ve received some fantastic reviews this month, and we wanted to share a few standouts:
⭐️ Alan C & Lex A ⭐️ Andy C & Jeff C
Thanks to everyone for going above and beyond to leave a lasting impression. Customers do notice, and when you ask for feedback, it often leads to glowing words like these.
Great work—and keep asking! 👍
Considering them? Do it!!! Amazing.
We’d had our gable window & 5 meter bifolds for 3 years before getting blinds. I saw an installation on Instagram and only then realised you could get amazing electric blinds. I sent off an enquiry, arranged a chap to come & give me a quote. Pretty sure his name was Andy. Brilliant service and talked thru the options. Got electric blinds for gable (triangle) window and blinds that sit in the bifold recess and can open from top of bottom. Install was by Jeff who did the survey also. Overall from enquiry to install was 3 months ish which I thought was quick. The quality and fit is amazing. Also got French door bifold blinds in another room (black out ones). Total cost was c. £7.5K so not cheap but I didn’t fall off my chair. After previously using other well know natural blind/ shutter companies I was realistic in what you have to pay for quality. This certainly didn’t disappoint.. I am over the moon. We can now watch TV again in the evenings during summer, and the heat is definitely improved, the blinds allow the room to be so much cooler. The service has been great. My only regret, I hadn’t discovered Specialist Blinds sooner.
Thank you to the whole team! – Lee
10 Stars
Exceptional service by Specialist Blinds, from sales to installation. Expert fitting under the lean-to glass roof of our conservatory. The blinds have made such a huge difference to the temperature inside the room and they look very smart. No hesitation in recommending this company. We would definitely use them again if we need blinds elsewhere. – Linda
Competitor Watch
You may remember that we mentioned this Facebook group a few months ago – it’s not an official site, but attracts comments from many unsatisfied customers.
This month, they have marked their anniversary – 15 years of Hillarys Blinds Complaints!
What’s Happening: Marketing
We’re pleased to have seen a fantastic increase in leads in recent weeks, and an uplift from all lead sources. We’ve even seen a handful of leads generated through AI searches/ChatGPT, which is an area that we’ve started to focus on.
Despite us reminding them throughout the year, it seems that most people still only start looking for blinds when extreme temperatures remind them that they need them!
As it’s now peak holiday season, and we’ve already seen a slight dip in leads again, it’s important that we continue to nurture those recent leads to ensure they’re not forgotten. @SalesTeam, please make every effort to contact all leads from the last few weeks, and return any to us that you’ve been unable to contact.
Earlier in the month we visited a customer in Berkshire who kindly agreed to let our photographer visit them to take extra photos and videos. It’s a stunning property with 3 lanterns across their open plan lounge, diner and bar area. A huge ‘thank you’ to Martin for discussing this opportunity with his customer.
Social Media News
Account insights across all Instagram posts, last 30 days:
Total Views = 1,272,354 👁️
Accounts Reached = 798,465 ❤️
Interactions (Saves, Comments, Shares) =21,109🗨️
Swipe across to view highlights of recent stunning installations ➡️
TikTok: We started posting on TikTok last year, which is slowly growing. We only have 50 followers at the moment, so there’s a VERY long way to go to catch up with Instagram, but posts are doing well.
We’ve had 22.3k views on last month’s viral Instagram post:
(Sorry, we can’t control what random videos appear after ours!)
And over 1k on this ‘Spot the Difference’ post:
Staff News
How long have you been with Specialist Blinds?
5 years.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
Helping people to resolve simple issues with their blinds.
What’s your go-to snack or drink during a busy workday?
I love a Babybel or pack of salted cashew nuts. Drink wise, just a bottle of water for me (boring I know).
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I’m petrified of spiders. Hence the reason I try to delay maintenance visits as long as possible.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received (work-related or not)?
As my grandad always says “treat others how you want to be treated & be kind, always. Other than when you’re on the football pitch”😂
What’s something on your bucket list that you’re determined to cross off?
A trip to Alaska to see the northern lights.
If you could swap jobs with anyone else in the business for a day, who would it be and why?
James Alexander. I’d love to drive his Tesla around for the day and I’d like to see what tape measure he uses .😉
Favourite quote or saying?
I’ll do that in a minute” my wife’s personal favourite.
July Birthday Celebrations
Happy Birthday to all our wonderful colleagues who celebrated their birthdays in July! Wishing you a fantastic year ahead filled with happiness, success, and good health. Here’s to many more celebrations! 🎉🥳🎉
Welcome to our Newcomers
Welcome to our new team members! We are thrilled to have you onboard and look forward to working together. Your skills and enthusiasm will be a great addition to our company, and we’re excited to support you as you settle in. Here’s to a successful journey ahead!
Philip Seidl – Sales Team
Darran White – Specialist Department
Sophie Bowler – Fabric Department
Ray Putley – Powder Coating Department
Petru Socaciu – Pinoleum Department
Jade O’Reilly – Roller Blind Assembly
🎉Congratulations🎉
Jack Wesson – Congratulations on becoming a fully qualified fitter and well done on becoming self-employed! That’s a fantastic achievement! It’s been great to see you grow with the company and develop your skills over time. We’re sure you’ll do brilliantly and continue to succeed. Thank you for all your hard work and commitment.
Factory Employee of the Month 🥳🥇
The factory team have introduced an employee of the month scheme. There is a nomination system in place, and the winner is chosen by Tom Q and Ellie.
We’re pleased to announce that Mateusz Nowacki has won this accolade for the first month (June), as well as receiving £50.
“Mateuz is an incredibly hard working member of the team. He consistently goes above and beyond what is expected of him. The powder coating department can be a very pressurised and uncomfortable working environment and Mateuz handles it all with a smile on his face. We’re lucky to have him and very pleased that he is our first employee of the month.”
– Ellie Smith-Anderson
Our employee of the month for July is Craig Cowland. 🎉🥳🎉
“Craig is a well deserving winner of employee of the month. He always works hard and the last few months have been no exception. Not only has he worked extra hard covering his colleague Birju’s 3 week holiday, he was also a big part of the effort to unload and organise a very large aluminium delivery we had just last week. Keep up the good work!”
– Ellie Smith-Anderson
Shout Out
We’ve received the following lovely email from Grant S Johnston in the Sales Team:
“I would like to mention an unsung hero. The person that comes to mind is Colette Huckstepp who sends our fabrics out.
I have been able to close many a deal based on the fabric choice that we give the customers. She works tirelessly and without complaint and she is crucial to the success of the Sales Team. I feel she goes largely unnoticed and would like to highlight her efforts and thank her for her dedication and commitment to the company.”
Specialist Blinds Staff Blog 