JUNE NEWSLETTER 2026
Growing Together: A Record-Breaking June
It’s been an incredibly busy few months, and June has been one of our strongest yet.
So far this month, we’ve processed 1,393 leads, compared to 699 leads in June last year – an increase of almost 100%. The momentum is continuing too, with this week already proving busier than last week, and its only Tuesday! Last week alone saw a peak of 478 leads.
Thanks to a continued increase in customer enquiries, we’re expanding our team across the business.
We’re currently recruiting for roles in Sales, Installation and our Office Team.
If you know someone who would be a great fit for our company, please encourage them to take a look at our vacancies. Recommendations from our own team are always appreciated, as you know better than anyone what it’s like to work here.
All current vacancies are available on our website, so please help spread the word among your friends, family and professional contacts. https://www.specialist-blinds.co.uk/careers
Thank you to everyone for your hard work during this busy period. Your efforts have helped us continue to grow, and we’re excited about the next chapter as more people join the team.
Here’s a round-up of exciting updates, highlights, team wins and competitor insights from across the business throughout June.
What’s Happening: Installations
🛠️ Installations
✈️ Stansted Watch Tower: Blinds, Background Checks & Bizarre Airport Facts
We’ve just completed a rather elevated project at London Stansted Airport’s operations watch tower, installing 11 powered shaped roller blinds that glide neatly down the tower’s sloping glass. They’re transparent enough to keep visibility, clever enough to cut glare, and stylish enough to make the refurbishment look intentional rather than “we’ve just painted over the old problems”.
A huge shout‑out to Howard and James, who handled everything from the first sales visit to final commissioning with the calm professionalism of two men who now know far more about airport security than they ever planned to.
Speaking of security, getting into the watch tower is not your average Tuesday. You don’t go through the main terminal like a normal human. Oh no. You’re escorted through a discreet trade entrance, after a background check so deep it probably knows what you had for lunch in 2009.
Once inside, you hear some cracking stories. For example:
- Any aircraft in UK airspace that shouldn’t be there gets grounded at Stansted. No exceptions.
- When President Trump visited, snipers were positioned on rooftops. He also brought his own fuel plane to refuel Air Force One, because apparently popping to the local Jet A‑1 pump is beneath a world leader.
- And if the airport facts weren’t wild enough, here’s one more from the installation itself. At one point, the electricians on site turned off the power… except for one lonely industrial‑sized extension lead with a single plug in it. As we went to move it, everyone suddenly froze like they’d spotted a bomb in a film. Turns out that one plug was powering the security cameras. If we’d unplugged it, police and security would have descended on the tower instantly and all hell would have broken loose. So yes, we very calmly put it back down and pretended we’d never touched it.
The final installation looks fantastic, works flawlessly, and gives the tower team the perfect balance of shade and visibility. And yes, there’s a video of the finished job, proving that even blinds can have a cinematic moment.
🧠 Quote of the Month
All the best – Rich.
What’s Happening: Sales
Historic Property, Modern Solutions
This month we go back to our roots for the sale of the month.
Not far outside the centre of Maidstone in Kent this pre-war property, would have pretty much stood alone, but having been slowly swallowed up as housing states expanded it has managed to stand alone and hide at the end of private lane, in a blink and you’ll miss it setting.
Having been extensively refurbished and extended by adding a huge conservatory across the rear of the property, it has been brought right up to date.
The client contacted earlier in June looking for shading for the conservatory, as the recent temperature extremes have made the area somewhat uncomfortable(!) and Taylor met with them to discuss their requirements.
A nice job for Taylor to be involved in as whilst still relatively new to the company it was good for him to see and discuss what would have been our bread and butter for lifers amongst us.
Being a large room, manual operation would have been laborious, but Taylor steered them to Duo motorisation to give flexibility of operation and has costed for SuperCell Pumice fabric, so that shading and insulation concerns can be resolved while still addressing budget concerns. A lovely order to take. Well done Taylor
What’s Happening: Factory
Fresh Look for Our Factory
As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe, professional, and welcoming workplace, the factory recently underwent a full exterior and gutter cleaning programme.
The work included cleaning the building’s external surfaces and clearing the guttering system to help ensure effective drainage and protect the facility from the effects of weather and debris build-up. The transformation is clear to see, with the building looking cleaner, brighter, and well-maintained.
A well-kept site not only creates a positive impression for visitors and customers but also helps preserve our facilities for the future. Thank you to everyone involved in planning and coordinating the work. Check out the before-and-after photos below to see the difference
Roller Department – New Double Post Hoist
This month we finally had our long-awaited hoist installed in the roller department. The roller department in Ashford has been up and running for around 18 months now and this was a much-needed addition to our machinery and equipment.
We had been using an old single post hoist up until now, so this new wider and taller double post hoist will make the blinds much easier to test.
What’s Happening: Marketing
Record-breaking number of enquiries… AGAIN!
With another heatwave hitting the UK this month, we have again seen a record number of enquiries this month. It’s been all hands on deck in the office, answering calls and fielding leads through to the sales team. Lesley and Judy have also been inundated with enquiries via the website, socials and WhatsApp… it’s been non-stop, which is fantastic news for the business.
We realise that the sales team are struggling to keep up with demand. We will be sending follow-up emails to customers over the coming days/weeks to ensure that all leads are nurtured through the sales process, even if that process is a little longer than normal.
First Social Media Influencer: @thehomeofjade
As mentioned last month, Dan fitted blinds for our first social media influencer/ content creator last month. Since then, Jade has shared several posts on her Instagram page, which is achieving a fantastic level of engagement with her followers.
Here’s a lovely example of our motorised blinds creating valuable shade in the heatwave for Jade and her newborn son, which will resonate with a lot of potential customers.
Social Media Content Leaderboard
Thank you to the installation team for your continued effort. We really appreciate you all taking the extra time at the end of a busy day to supply great marketing content!
Our top contributors this quarter are…
Please also remember to take photos/videos when you go to service calls. This is a fantastic opportunity to get some great footage in a fully furnished room, rather than the empty space you saw at installation. Thanks to Martin for these lovely inspirational shots – they will be posted across our socials in the next couple of weeks.
NEWCOMERS
Welcome to our new team member!
Welcome to our new team member!
Jason Cordrey – Sales Team
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!
Welcome back Derek!
We’re delighted to welcome Derek Kay back to the Sales Team. It’s great to have you with us again, and we’re looking forward to working together once more. We’re excited to have your experience and expertise back on board and wish you every success as you settle back into the team.
Competitor Watch
Observing Careless Transport Practices
Taylor accompanied Richard to see the process from an installation perspective. While travelling through London, they noticed something that stood out and felt it was worth sharing.
A vehicle from Hillarys pulled up alongside them, packed to capacity with blind boxes and tools—crammed into the boot and strapped onto the roof. The boxes appeared paper thin, raising concerns about potential damage caused by the ratchet straps pulling on them. It seemed they had simply thrown everything into the car and strapped it down, reflecting a ‘throw it in and it’ll do’ attitude that shows little regard for the condition of the blinds.
This sight served as a reminder of the importance of handling products with care. Proper handling and professional transportation are crucial to maintaining quality and customer satisfaction, helping to avoid damage that can result from careless practices.
Staff News
How long have you been with Specialist Blinds?
I joined the company in March 2004.
If you weren’t working for Specialist Blinds, what other profession would you be in?
if I were to have a different career I would either work for the Forestry Commission or Dry Stone wall building. 👷🏻
Who was your most memorable customer and why?
I have met all sorts of people while selling blinds, but I would say meeting Dawn French sticks in my mind. She was exactly how you think she would be. I sat down to a tray of sandwiches, cakes and pot of tea while talking about blinds for her conservatory. I remember she was really bubbly, very natural, but I have no memory of her conservatory at all. ✨
If you could swap jobs with anyone in the company for a day, who would it be and why?
I’d swap jobs with Tom Whitehead to show how good I am with IT. It’d be entertaining at the very least and clearly demonstrate that I should stay in sales! 😂
If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be and why?
I think Italy is the most amazing country to live in. Its history, people, food and climate is fantastic. Somewhere between Rome and Sorento with a short train ride to either, and skiing in the Winter. ⛷️
What’s your hidden talent or hobby that no one at work knows about?
Hidden talent would be back in the day, club swimming up to county level for Surrey in Butterfly and Backstroke. In recent years I’ve rediscovered lane swimming, club swimming and open water swimming events. 🏊🏻
What is your favourite meal to cook?
My favourite meal to prepare would be a roast dinner, Beef with a red wine sauce followed by a rhubarb crumble with cream/custard and a decent bottle of red wine. 🍽️🍷
JUNE Birthday Celebrations
Happy Birthday to all our wonderful colleagues who celebrated their birthdays in June! Wishing you a fantastic year ahead filled with happiness, success, and good health. Here’s to many more celebrations! 🎉🥳🎉
🎉Congratulations🎉
Sean Jones – Operations Manager
We are delighted to announce that Sean has been promoted to the position of Operations Manager.
This promotion is thoroughly deserved and reflects Sean’s hard work, dedication, and significant contribution to the business over the years. His experience, commitment, and extensive knowledge of our operations make him ideally suited for this role.
As Operations Manager, Sean will play a key role in overseeing the day-to-day running of the business, supporting our teams, and driving continuous improvements across all areas of the company.
Please join us in congratulating Sean on this well-earned promotion and wishing him every success in his new position. 👏🏻
Factory Employee of the Month
Our employee of the month for June is
Ganesh Buramagar🥳🥇
Ganesh is June’s employee of the month. I’ve seen a great improvement in Ganesh over the last few months as I feel he’s taking more initiative and responsibility in his supervisory role. This month we’ve also had some challenging blinds including some test models to work on. This is not always straightforward, and I appreciate the care and consideration he has brought to these projects- Ellie Smith-Anderson
Good Luck Aaron🍀
Aaron’s 2026 European Duathlon Championships
We’d like to wish Aaron the very best of luck as he prepares to compete in the 2026 European Duathlon Championships in Banyoles, Spain in a couple of weeks. Qualifying for an event of this calibre is a fantastic achievement and reflects the dedication, discipline, and determination that Aaron brings to everything he does.
Representing Great Britain on the European stage is a testament to the hard work he has put into his training, and we couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishment. We know he’ll do himself, his supporters, and his country proud. Everyone here wishes him every success in Banyoles and looks forward to following his journey and celebrating his achievement.
Good luck, Aaron – we’re all behind you! 🇬🇧🏃🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️🏃🏻♂️
