A Brief History of our Heritage - Swift Blinds

It was during the late 1960s as a side line to his Lepton based Post Office, that Alan Swift began selling and fitting blinds. From the outset the business mainly sold and installed venetian blinds, which we subsequently began manufacturing ourselves. We still make more of these than any other kind of blind but now we also produce vertical blinds, roller blinds, wood and soft cloth blinds for the home as well as blinds, canopies and awnings for shops, offices and other commercial and industrial applications.

Back in 1969 the business still included running the Post Office and was run by just Alan and his wife Pat. Today here at Swift we have over 60 members of staff.

In 1978 from the Lepton Post Office on Wakefield Road Alan and Nic opened a retail shop on Cross Church Street in Huddersfield Town Centre. The office and workroom moved from Lepton to Skelmanthorpe in 1980, and then to Silver Court Aspley in 1984 before eventually moving to our current home of Lockwood Road, in 1988.

Alan and Pat's son Nicolas joined the firm in 1976, when Swift first began manufacturing Venetian and roller blinds. In 1984 Alan and Pats youngest son Christian also joined the business. The families middle son Matthew has followed a successful career path outside of the business.

Today the business is run by Nicolas and Christian Swift as Joint Managing Directors, alongside Sales Director David Roebuck (often called the third brother) who joined in 1995 originally to develop the curtain business. Although it soon became clear that blinds had the real potential.

Our latest innovation was the early 2009 launch of SwiftTradeBlinds.com, the trade website for Swift Blinds and Curtains Limited improving our ability to service our current and new trade customers.

A timeline of 40 Blinding Years

1969 - Alan Swift establishes Swift Blinds in the back room of his Lepton Post Office near Huddersfield

1976 - Nic Swift joins the company as they move into separate business premises in Skelmanthorpe

1978 - Swifts frist Retail showroom opens in Huddersfield town centre

1984 - Chris Swift joins the business after serving his apprenticeship in a local engineering company as an electrician

1995 - David Roebuck joins the company to promote the curtain side of the business

2003 - New factory site adjacent to head office opens increasing capacity and improving efficiency

2005 - New 2000 sq foot retail showroom opens 2006 - 2nd New factory opens to promote wood blinds

2009 - Launch of first online site - SwiftTradeBlinds.com, overseen by internet sales manager Anup Zaver