MAY NEWSLETTER 2026

Highlights

Summer is definitely here…

With our first official heatwave of 2026 and record-breaking temperatures recorded over the bank holiday weekend, it seems like we’re in for a very warm and sunny summer! 🥵

Stay hydrated and don’t forget to apply sunscreen or a hat! 😎

Here’s a round-up of exciting updates, highlights, team wins and competitor insights from across the business throughout May.

What’s Happening: Installations

Update from Rich Jones

⚠️ Crimewatch – Where the Industry Falls Short

“In every sector, there are leaders and there are followers”

In ours, the difference is visible, painfully visible, in the quality of installations happening across the country.

This month I thought I’d title it Crimewatch Not because it’s about cheap shots. It’s about industry accountability. Because what we’re seeing out there isn’t just poor workmanship; it’s a pattern of corner‑cutting that undermines customer trust and damages the reputation of the entire blinds sector.

Misaligned systems. Under‑spec’d hardware. Installations that ignore basic engineering principles.

These aren’t isolated mistakes; they’re symptoms of an industry where “fit it fast” has replaced “fit it right”.

And that’s exactly why Specialist Blinds stands apart.

Where others compromise.

Where others accept “that’ll do”, we insist on precision, load integrity, product longevity, and professional finish.

Where others rely on luck, we rely on process, expertise, and engineering‑led installation standards.

The examples below aren’t included for drama, they’re included because they highlight a truth the industry rarely says out loud:

quality isn’t common. Leadership is.

And leadership is what we deliver every single day.

These real‑world cases show what happens when companies chase speed over skill, price over performance, and convenience over craftsmanship. They also show why customers come to us when they want the job done properly, and why our standards continue to set the pace for the industry.

Their Way vs Our Way

Their Way

• “Fit it fast” instead of “fit it right”.
• Cheapest components, minimal testing, and no consideration for long‑term performance.
• Installations that look acceptable on day one but fail under real‑world use.
• Corners cut to protect margins, not customers.
• A mindset built around volume, not value.

Our Way

• Engineering‑led installation, not guesswork.
• Components chosen for durability, load integrity, and lifecycle performance.
• Systems fitted with precision, alignment, and finish as non‑negotiables.
• Processes designed to protect the customer, not the bottom line.
• A mindset built around leadership, not shortcuts.

Why This Matters

For years, we’ve highlighted the difference between true craftsmanship and the poor practices we see across the industry, especially from the company beginning with H, whose work appears all over Facebook. Their output makes one thing clear: they don’t prioritise the full customer experience. They prioritise the bottom line.

Our approach is the opposite. And that’s why customers trust us, why our installs last, and why our standards continue to set the benchmark for the industry. Something we should all be proud of.

Real‑World Example: Toddington Services, M1 Southbound

These photos were taken at the coffee bar inside Toddington Services on the M1 in Dunstable. If you’re ever heading south, it’s worth stopping in, grabbing a coffee, and looking at the roof lantern blinds installed there.

Because the installation tells its own story.

The blinds have been fitted using plastic side shelves, which are not designed to carry the load of a roof lantern system. As a result, the installers have had to suspend supporting wires from above just to hold the weight, a workaround that highlights the weakness of the original specification.

When I asked the staff member behind the counter how well the blinds helped with heat and glare, his response was immediate: they’ve never worked properly. One of the blinds at the end no longer moves at all, leaving the space exposed and offering no benefit to the people working beneath it.

This is exactly what happens when products are under‑engineered, under‑specified, and installed without long‑term performance in mind. And it’s exactly why our standards, and our engineering‑led approach matter.

📱 Social Media Complaints

✍️ Final Thoughts

Taking both examples together, highlights in this Crimewatch review point to persistent behavioural patterns within parts of the industry, including inconsistent installation practices, weak customer communication, and limited operational oversight. Unless these underlying behaviours are addressed, similar incidents will continue to surface across the sector. These cases reflect issues specific to the organisations involved, rather than the wider professional landscape. “Us”

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🧩 Blind Space Boxes

Blind space boxes are one of those topics that resurface every now and again, in fact, we discussed them at the National Sales Meeting last year. To put them into context, these boxes are very expensive, and the cost can escalate quickly depending on the specification.

Recently, we had a customer absolutely set on having blind space boxes throughout their project. The challenge is that these boxes come in multiple sizes, and the correct size depends entirely on what product is being installed inside them.

For simplicity:

• Roller blinds now follow the industry standard 135mm x 135mm box size. This applies to all rollers, including heavy‑duty versions. They require a 20mm open slot for the weighted bottom rail to pass through.
• Cellular blinds are different. Here, the stack height must be specified accurately, as it determines the required box depth.
• Bauhaus Aspect blinds require even more precision. These projects must be managed differently, with exact measurements and careful coordination to ensure the system performs as designed.

To illustrate the scale: we recently quoted a customer who wanted over 50 square metres of blinds, a mix of rollers and Bauhaus Aspect blinds, all housed within blind space boxes. The boxes alone cost the customer over £12,000, not inc. fitting by their builder, Anything larger than the standard 135mm x 135mm size is classed as a special‑made box, which carries an additional premium.

Blind space boxes can be a fantastic solution, but they must be specified correctly, engineered precisely, and budgeted realistically. Here’s a few photos of a project we’ve helped manage which has ultimately helped us cement the order.

We’ll give you a further update once the project ends later in the year.

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🧠 Quote of the Month 

All the best – Rich.

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Professional Video/Photoshoot

We’ve recently enlisted the help of a new videographer Chris to cover installs further south. He has just visited the family home of the founders of Babycham, where Rob S installed 24 motorised English pinoleum roof blinds. This stunning property overlooks the Solent and the Isle of Wight. We’ll be creating videos and posting clips across the website and socials in the coming weeks, but here’s a sneaky preview…

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Supporting local fundraisers

We were contacted by Great Chart Primary School in Ashford who are just down the road from the factory, asking us to help sponsor a stall at their forthcoming fundraising event. They are raising funds to allow them to invite external visitors/speakers into the school, enhancing the curriculum and providing pupils with a more diverse and engaging learning experience.

So, if any locals fancy a game of ‘play your cards right’, head down to their Summer Fete on Saturday 20^th June.

MAY Birthday Celebrations

Happy Birthday to all our wonderful colleagues who celebrated their birthdays in MAY! Wishing you a fantastic year ahead filled with happiness, success, and good health. Here’s to many more celebrations! 🎉🥳🎉

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🎉Congratulations🎉

Factory Employee of the Month

Our employee of the month for May is

Kerry Hollingsbee 🥳🥇

Kerry is one of our newer employees having only joined the company back in February. She has really taken to her work in the fabric department, quickly becoming a valued member of the team. She also excels in communicating well with other departments which is something we really value. Kerry was employed as maternity cover but we are pleased to say she’s here to stay as she has been moved to a permanent contract – we wouldn’t be without her now – Ellie Smith-Anderson

AND FINALLY…

a Decade of Service and Customer Loyalty

This month, we’re highlighting a special project that reflects both our company’s longevity and our commitment to customer care. One of our longstanding clients, who originally had manual roof and side blinds installed ten years ago, is now updating her system to a motorised version.

The initial blinds were sold by Arnaud and installed by Ryan at the time. Recently, the same client reached out to reorder her entire setup, choosing to upgrade to motorised blinds to make her daily routine easier. Her husband has recently passed away, and she has expressed difficulty operating the manual roof blinds by pole.

Arnaud went out to consult, and Ryan is now installing the new motorised blinds, bringing the project full circle.

It’s a poignant reminder that, despite the many changes over the years, our team’s dedication and consistency remain strong. Not many blind companies can boast about having the same staff for over ten / twenty years, which makes this story even more meaningful.

Many customers are pleasantly surprised to hear that the same team will be dealing with their new project, so this project, and many others like it, exemplifies our ongoing commitment to building lasting relationships with our clients and adapting to their evolving needs. Well done to everyone involved in making this happen!

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