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Founded in 1972, Apollo Blinds is the biggest blinds franchise network in the UK, with more than 50 franchisees. We are part of the Hunter Douglas Group – the UK’s largest and oldest manufacturer of window blinds, with an annual turnover of $4.6 billion.
Our franchisees sell and install our products, which include made-to-measure blinds, shutters, curtains and awnings. We are constantly innovating to provide homeowners and businesses with a broad choice of fabrics, finishes and modes of operation – including blinds that can reduce energy bills and be operated by home automation systems. There is consistently high demand for our window coverings, thanks to our established reputation, happy customers and the great service from our franchisees, and we have enjoyed three successive years of record growth.
The upfront franchise investment is low, and a healthy return is possible from day one. An Apollo Blinds franchise can be started on a mobile basis to remove the expense of renting premises. Even when franchisees later decide to expand their businesses and rent showrooms, plus hire staff, they do not need to hold valuable stock or create their own marketing materials. This means they can maximise cash flow and focus their energy on connecting with customers and selling and installing our premium-quality window coverings.
Apollo Blinds is an original member of the British Franchise Association and has a proven franchise model. We are committed to helping our franchisees to grow their businesses by providing extensive training and support from the moment of investment to many years and even decades down the line – we have some franchisees who have owned an Apollo Blinds franchise for more than 30 years, creating comfortable lifestyles and giving opportunities for their children to become part of the business. Recently, we won Work Buzz’s Continuous Improvement Award and received a five-star franchisee satisfaction rating.
Founded in 1972, Apollo Blinds is the biggest blinds franchise network in the UK, with more than 50 franchisees. We are part of the Hunter Douglas Group – the UK’s largest and oldest manufacturer of window blinds, with an annual turnover of $4.6 billion.
Our franchisees sell and install our products, which include made-to-measure blinds, shutters, curtains and awnings. We are constantly innovating to provide homeowners and businesses with a broad choice of fabrics, finishes and modes of operation – including blinds that can reduce energy bills and be operated by home automation systems. There is consistently high demand for our window coverings, thanks to our established reputation, happy customers and the great service from our franchisees, and we have enjoyed three successive years of record growth.
The upfront franchise investment is low, and a healthy return is possible from day one. An Apollo Blinds franchise can be started on a mobile basis to remove the expense of renting premises. Even when franchisees later decide to expand their businesses and rent showrooms, plus hire staff, they do not need to hold valuable stock or create their own marketing materials. This means they can maximise cash flow and focus their energy on connecting with customers and selling and installing our premium-quality window coverings.
As franchisees join Apollo Blinds from a wide range of fields, each franchisee is given a completely customed training plan, based on their existing DIY skills, product knowledge and business experience. We recently received a 100% franchisee rating in a Work Buzz Survey for the initial training and support we provide.
After the initial training, which typically includes a five-day induction programme at our head office, our franchisees receive ongoing training and support in whatever areas are needed – product information, business growth, installation techniques, marketing, etc. Continuous professional development is essential to ensure our high standards are maintained, as well as to ensure that our franchisees have up-to-date installation skills to fit our newest products alongside long-standing favourites.
The support we offer is both field and office based, including:
– Area managers help franchisees to understand, evaluate and develop their franchises
– Our Head Office support team answer day-to-day queries
– Marketing and PR support helps franchisees to successfully target customers and plan the launch of their businesses
– Product training support is provided for new products, with refreshers on existing ranges
As our network features more than 50 franchisees, some with more than 30 years’ experience running an Apollo Blinds franchise, new franchisees can also benefit from the friendly knowledge-sharing environment we have created.
One of the most exciting parts of running an Apollo Blinds franchise is that no two days are ever the same. But the focus of a franchisee’s day will typically be helping customers to select the best window coverings from our extensive collections, as well as returning to customers’ homes to install their new products to a high standard. Providing a good after-sales service is key, as our customers return to us time and time again.
A franchisee will also spend a lot of time responding to the healthy and consistent volume of potential customer enquiries generated across multiple channels. This means they can get busy very quickly, so taking the time to plan out their days is essential – for example, booking home appointments in the same area on the same day to save time and transport costs.
An ‘average’ day may look something like this:
– Planning out the days ahead
– Attending customer appointments
– Returning to a customer’s home to install window coverings
– Reviewing marketing activity to understand responses to advertising
– Keeping an eye on finances to understand costs of sales, average order value, profit margins, etc.
All marketing activity will have the full support of our expert marketing team and extensive suite of promotional materials, which help our franchisees to distinguish their Apollo Blinds businesses from the local competition. Success comes easily to franchisees who are able to portray that professional, competent and reliable image that Apollo Blinds is known across the UK for.
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