British manufacturer and retailer Hillarys has chosen Bristol to launch its first showroom. The window dressing and carpet company is to open the store on White Ladies Road in January.
Hillarys was established in Nottingham in 1971, manufacturing, selling and fitting a small range of made-to-measure blinds. Today Hillarys continues to manufacture and provide an in-home sales and installation service for a wide range of made-to-measure window coverings, which now includes blinds, curtains, shutters and awnings, as well as carpets and flooring.
Marketing director Susan White believes that having a high street presence is important as it gives customers a choice. “Our business may have changed and grown significantly since it began as a cottage industry with its founder Tony Hillary fashioning made-to-measure blinds from the garage of his home,” she says. “But the heart of our business is still about offering quality, value-for-money products and outstanding service in the comfort of a customer’s own home through our network of 1400 advisors.
“Research shows us that there is still a proportion of customers who want to see and touch the products before they buy, in a traditional retail environment. We have trialled a number of concessions and pop-up shops in various shopping centres around the UK and this has worked really well for us. The idea is that the website, our brochures and showroom will all sync seamlessly for a reassuring customer journey.”
“We chose Bristol as our first location as it has a thriving and diverse retail sector. Our showroom will include thousands of fabric and carpet samples, including our House Beautiful shutters and Roman blind and curtains collections. An experienced store team will be on hand to provide advice, make appointments for an advisor to measure, and customers can take away samples.
Susan believes that more brands will see the benefits of e-commerce and having a physical store working alongside each other. “Hillarys’ move to a bricks and mortar store is about giving our customers the chance to experience our brand in a different way,” she concludes.
