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Hillarys Blinds is a retailer and manufacturer of made-to-measure blinds, curtains, shutters and awnings. It sells via a network of approximately 850 self-employed advisors throughout the UK. The company’s head office is in Nottingham, while manufacturing facilities are located in Nottingham and Washington, Tyne and Wear. Approximately 1000 people are employed by the company in roles including sales and marketing, ICT, customer services, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. == Early History == The company was established in 1971 by Tony Hillary. He originally made blinds in a converted garage at his home in Nottingham. As well as selling and fitting the blinds, Mr Hillary looked after advertising and manufacturing. Initially only two products, venetian blinds and vertical blinds, were available. In 1974 roller blinds were introduced to the range. Tony Hillary designed one of the fabrics of this new range himself. It was called Meadoway and continued to be sold by Hillarys until 2010. The company grew steadily over the following years and in 1978 production moved to a factory employing 100 people. Four shops opened in Nottingham, Leicester, Workington and Spennymoor. In 1982 a second factory opened in Washington, Tyne and Wear, making blinds for customers in the north of England and Scotland. 1000 blinds per week were now being produced. During the 1980s Austrian and festoon blinds were added to the range of products. These were discontinued in the early 1990s. Curtains were also introduced – they remained in the range for 20 years before being discontinued. In 1985 a new factory and head office opened in Nottingham. The following year company sales has reached £10million a year. By 1990 5000 blinds were being made each week. During the 1990s more shops opened throughout the UK bringing the total number of outlets to 18. The Hillarys Blinds product range increased again with the introduction of roman blinds and wood venetian blinds. Pleated blinds were also launched reflecting the increased popularity of conservatories. Awnings for the outside of the home began to be sold by Hillarys in 1996. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hillarys Blinds」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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