Retail Blind Store Franchise With Apollo Blinds

Apollo Blinds

All about Apollo

Apollo Blinds is Britain’s biggest blinds store chain. It has 85 retail franchises in the UK and Ireland and its franchisees have the most extensive collections of window blinds, awnings and shutters in the industry.

Apollo Blinds is part of the Hunter Douglas Group – the world’s largest manufacturer of window blinds. Benefits of being part of the Group include the high quality of products and the constant innovation which means Apollo Blinds is always a leader in bringing new products and ranges to market. And then there is the competitive wholesale pricing structure which franchisees enjoy because of the sheer scale of Hunter Douglas’ production.

The UK window blinds industry covers a broad spectrum of products, from decorative to functional, domestic to commercial, and was recently estimated to be worth around £1.2 billion. Window blinds are certainly no longer seen purely as window covering solutions for the kitchen, bathroom or conservatory. In fact, the Apollo Blinds range includes options for every room in the house, and the office and garden too!

Apollo Blinds is one of the original members of the British Franchise Association (BFA) and has been active in promoting the concept of franchising for more than 35 years.

The brand

Apollo Blinds is the UK’s largest retailer of blinds and one of the top three most recognised window blinds brands. We have the most comprehensive range of blinds which includes:

• Vertical
• Venetian
• Roman
• Roller
• Wooden
• Conservatory (Pleated and Pinoleum)
• Awnings and canopies
• Plantation shutters

Extensive research on our customer base reveals that a typical person who buys from Apollo Blinds has a middle or higher income and tends to buy better quality products. They will have a keen interest in home interiors and prefer to get professionals in for inspiration, advice and installation. They are happy to pay for a better quality product and enjoy the assurance of buying into an established brand.

Apollo Blinds has aligned itself to other similarly aspirational brands such as Next, Barker & Stonehouse and Habitat.

A choice of franchising opportunities

There are two ways to become part of our Apollo Blinds network.

The first is a retail franchise where you run a showroom operation. It will appeal if you have previous experience in window blinds or the retail industry. You will be fast-tracked straight to a showroom franchise and our dedicated team will work with you to identify just the right location within your chosen territory to ensure the maximum footfall to your store. They will work closely with you to take care of the legal contracts regarding the leasing of premises and fitting it to the same standard as all our other retail stores.

The second is a new mobile franchise concept, Apollo at Home, where you will operate from a fully liveried van. This is a new development from Apollo Blinds and offers the same range of products and high standards of service provided by members of our retail network. Apollo at Home is a soft-start entry into the lucrative blinds retail sector without the initial need to invest in costly shop premises and will help you to ‘earn while you learn’ in the first two crucial years of trading so you develop a rounded set of skills without the overheads of retail premises.

Training and support

As a new franchisee you will be placed under the care of a dedicated Franchise Manager, whose role is to help with your training and launch, and provide ongoing, personal advice.

The first step will be attendance on an initial five day training programme which covers all aspects of our business. Key elements include an induction to the Hunter Douglas Group and the marketplace, our business operations, the Apollo Blinds product range, window blind installation, health and safety, customer care and our proven marketing and sales strategies. A comprehensive Operations Manual is loaned to you for the duration of your trading licence which outlines all our business practices.

When you launch your business, your Franchise Manager and his or her team will fully support the opening of your new Apollo Blinds operation, and will provide further on-site training and operational backing as required. There will be ongoing regular visits to each franchised business, and sales, marketing and technical advice will be available by phone every working day.

In addition to this, there are regular and ongoing sales training seminars for members of our network. Our Sales Training Manager provides personal support and training to ensure that you are totally confident when presenting our brand and products to your customers.

What we’re looking for

We will entrust both our name and reputation in you and our time and energy into helping you make a success of your Apollo Blinds franchise.

Our standards are therefore high and we have a clear idea of the attributes that make a successful Franchise Owner and are prepared to take the time to ensure that we enter into the most promising relationships.

You will be practical and good with people and have the drive, dedication and commitment to both us and our brand values. As a sales oriented individual, you will be self-motivated and have a commitment to delivering exceptional customer service.

Opportunities

We have opportunities across the UK and Ireland. Three key areas where we are actively looking to get franchisees as soon as possible include:

• South East of England
• South West of England
• The Midlands

To find out more about franchising with Apollo, please complete the short form below and we will contact you directly.