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Executive Summary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 8

2. SUMMARY 9

2.1 OVERALL 9

2.2 CURTAINS 10

2.3 BLINDS 11

2.4 NETS/LACE 12

2.5 TRACKS & POLES 12

3. ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 14

3.1 INTRODUCTION 14

3.2 GDP GROWTH AND INTEREST RATES 15

3.3 BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION 15

3.4 CONCLUSION 16

4. THE MARKET 17

4.1 DEFINITION 17

4.2 TOTAL MARKET SIZE 17

4.3 MARKET HISTORY 18

4.4 CURRENT SITUATION 20

4.5 FUTURE PROSPECTS 21

4.6 PURCHASE MOTIVATION FACTORS FOR WINDOW COVERINGS 23

4.7 IMPORTS & EXPORTS 25

4.8 MAJOR PRODUCT SECTORS 27

5. CURTAINS 29

5.1 MARKET SIZE 29

5.2 RECENT TRENDS 30

5.3 FUTURE PROSPECTS 32

5.5 CURTAIN PRODUCT SECTORS 33

5.6 TRENDS IN CURTAIN FASHIONS 35

5.7 CURTAIN LININGS 37

5.8 READY-MADE CURTAINS 38

5.9 FABRIC 41

5.10 CUSTOM-MADE CURTAINS 44

5.11 SUPPLIERS 48

6. BLINDS 62

6.1 MARKET SIZE 62

6.2 FUTURE PROSPECTS 66

6.3 APPLICATION AREAS BY END USE 67

6.4 CUSTOM VERSUS READY-MADE BLINDS 71

6.5 BLIND STYLES 72

6.6 VENETIAN BLINDS 75

6.7 VERTICAL BLINDS 76

6.8 ROLLER BLINDS 77

6.9 SOFT BLINDS 78

6.10 PLEATED BLINDS 79

6.11 FUTURE PROSPECTS 80

6.12 SUPPLIERS 80

7. NET CURTAINS 90

7.1 MARKET SIZE 90

7.2 MARKET TRENDS 91

7.3 PRODUCT MIX 93

7.4 MARKET AND PRODUCT TRENDS 95

7.5 SUPPLIERS 96

8. TRACKS & POLES 100

8.1 MARKET SIZE 100

8.2 PRODUCT MIX 101

8.3 SUPPLIERS 106

9. DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION 111

9.1 INTRODUCTION 111

9.2 DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL SHARES 112

9.3 INDEPENDENTS & SPECIALISTS 113

9.4 DEPARTMENT STORES, VARIETY STORES & CO-OPERATIVES 116

9.5 MAIL ORDER & CATALOGUE STORES 120

9.6 DISCOUNT WAREHOUSES/FURNITURE & FURNISHING MULTIPLES 123

9.7 DIY 128

9.8 OTHERS 130

10. KEY MARKET INFLUENCES 132

10.1 THE HOUSING MARKET 132

10.2 THE DOMESTIC WINDOW MARKET 134

10.3 PATIO DOORS 134

10.4 CONSERVATORIES 136

10.5 POPULATION PROFILE 139

10.6 EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT 141

10.7 INTEREST RATES 141

10.8 CONSUMERS DISPOSABLE INCOME LEVELS AND SAVINGS 142

10.9 STOCK OF DWELLINGS 144

11. FUTURE PROSPECTS 145

11.1 OVERALL 145

11.2 CURTAINS 146

11.3 BLINDS 148

11.4 NET / LACE CURTAINS 148

11.5 TRACKS AND POLES 149

11.6 DISTRIBUTION 149

TABLES AND CHARTS

TABLE 1: TOTAL WINDOW COVERINGS MARKET 1990-1998 BY VALUE (£M RSP) 9

TABLE 2 : TOTAL UK MARKET FOR DOMESTIC WINDOW COVERINGS (£M RSP) 1990-2002 18

TABLE 3: WINDOW COVERINGS MARKET BY VALUE (£M RSP) 1990-2002 CURRENT & CONSTANT PRICES 21

TABLE 4: UK MARKET FOR CURTAINS & BLINDS - PURCHASE MOTIVATION FACTORS 23

TABLE 5 : IMPORTS & EXPORTS OF CURTAINS, INTERIOR BLINDS & CURTAIN/BED VALANCES 1994-1997 (£M MSP) 25

TABLE 6: UK IMPORTS & EXPORTS OF CURTAINS AND INTERIOR BLINDS BY COUNTRY 1997 (£'000S MSP) 26

TABLE 7: UK WINDOW COVERINGS MARKET SECTORS 1997 MIX BY VALUE (£M RSP) 27

TABLE 8: UK MARKET FOR CURTAINS (£M RSP) 1990-2002 29

CHART 9: UK MARKET FOR CURTAINS 1990-2002 AT CONSTANT 1990 PRICES (£M RSP) 32

CHART 10: UK CURTAIN MARKET BY SECTOR VOLUME & VALUE percent 1997 34

TABLE 11: UK MARKET FOR CURTAINS BY TYPE. percent MIX BY VALUE 1988 AND 1997 35

TABLE 12: UK MARKET FOR READY-MADE CURTAINS (£M RSP) 1990-2002 39

TABLE 13: UK MARKET FOR FABRIC (£M RSP) 1990-2002 42

TABLE 14: UK MARKET FOR CUSTOM-MADE CURTAINS (£M RSP) 1990-2002 45

TABLE 15: MARKET SHARES OF LEADING SUPPLIERS OF READY-MADE CURTAINS - BY VALUE 1997 49

TABLE 16: MAJOR UK FABRIC SUPPLIERS 1997 - percent MARKET SHARE BY VALUE 56

TABLE 17: UK DOMESTIC BLINDS MARKET BY VALUE (£M RSP) 1990-2002 63

CHART 18: COMPARISONS OF WINDOW COVERING PRODUCTS BY VALUE (£M RSP) 1990-1997 64

CHART 19: UK BLINDS MARKET BY END USE SECTOR - percent BY VALUE 1997 67

CHART 20: BLIND TYPES - percent SHARES BY VOLUME - 1986, 1995 & 1997 73

TABLE 21: BLIND TYPES - percent SHARE BY VOLUME & VALUE 1997 75

CHART 22: SUPPLY STRUCTURE FOR BLINDS IN THE DOMESTIC MARKET 81

TABLE 23: UK MARKET FOR NET/LACE CURTAINS BY VALUE - £M RSP 90

TABLE 24: UK MARKET FOR NET/LACE CURTAINS BY 1997 - 2002 VALUE - £M RSP 93

CHART 25: UK MIX OF NETS BY TYPE 94

TABLE 26: SUPPLIERS SHARES OF THE NET MARKET percent MIX BY VALUE 1997 96

TABLE 27: UK MARKET FOR TRACKS & POLES BY 1990-2002 VALUE - £M RSP 100

TABLE 28: MARKET SHARE BY PRODUCT TYPE - VOLUME & VALUE 1997 102

TABLE 29: MARKET SHARES BY TRACK & POLE MANUFACTURER percent BY VALUE 1997 107

TABLE 30: DISTRIBUTION OF WINDOW COVERINGS - 1997 percent SHARE BY VALUE 112

TABLE 31: HOUSING COMPLETIONS 1990-1997 GREAT BRITAIN ('000) 132

TABLE 32: NUMBER OF PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES 1990-1997 133

TABLE 33: UK HOME IMPROVEMENT MARKET FOR PATIO DOORS - BY VOLUME 135

TABLE 34: UK DOMESTIC MARKET FOR CONSERVATORIES - BY VOLUME 137

CHART 35: AGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE RESIDENT UK POPULATION 1996 ('000) 139

CHART 36: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT GB - JUNE 1981-97 (MILLIONS) 141

CHART 37: INTEREST RATES AND INFLATION (RPI) FROM 1990-2000 142

CHART 38: PDI & SAVINGS RATIO 143

TABLE 39: STOCK OF DWELLINGS GREAT BRITAIN - 1983-1997 144

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The window coverings market is comprised of four major sectors - curtains, blinds, nets/lace and tracks/poles. In 1998, these four product groups combined were estimated to be worth £1026 million.

The largest sector is curtains with a 60 percent share by value of the market and includes ready-made, custom-made and fabric sales.

Ready-mades account for 56 percent of the curtain market by value, but more by volume due to their lower unit value. This sector has seen the highest growth in the curtain market, mainly due to improvements in quality and design.

Custom-mades account for 30 percent of the curtain market by value, but a much smaller percentage by volume with prices relatively high. Although average custom making prices have declined, it is by far the most expensive type of curtain to buy. There has been growth in this sector during 1996 and 1997, although current fashions and a narrowing of the gap in quality and design terms between ready-mades and custom-mades has limited recent growth.

Fabrics purchased by consumers, who either make the curtains themselves or employ someone else to make them, is the smallest curtain sector with 14 percent share. The drapery fabrics market has seen limited growth in recent years, due to declining time and skills for curtain making, growing consumer affluence and the availability of competitive alternatives.

Leading distribution channels for ready-mades are furnishing specialists, mail order and department stores for higher value products. Independents, department stores and some specialised discount warehouses are the major outlets for fabric.

Blinds are the second largest sector with a 22 percent share of the market worth over £200m in 1997. Blinds have experienced higher growth than any other window-coverings sector in recent years, due mainly to improved designs and more emphasis on fabrics and designs to co-ordinate with other furnishings products. They have taken share from other types of window coverings, with sales also stimulated by growing demand for conservatories.

There are five major blind styles - Venetians, verticals, rollers, soft and pleated. Venetian blinds account for 20 percent by volume, having taken share from other styles in the mid/late 1990s.

Vertical blinds account for 22 percent of the market, a slight decline in share terms in 1996 and 1997. Sales have been dampened by the increased use of pleated blinds in conservatories and the lack of growth of the patio door market, which represent two major end-use sectors for vertical blinds.

Roller blinds are the largest sector with an estimated 59 percent share by volume. In value terms, this is significantly lower due to their relatively low average price. Roller blinds have maintained share since 1995, due to manufacturers promoting these blinds to co-ordinate and match with other furnishing products.

The supply structure for blinds is complex, with a substantial level of inter-trading between suppliers. Major component suppliers are Eclipse and Louver-Lite, while blinds manufacturers include Hunter Douglas, Hillarys and Harrison Drape.

Independent blinds specialists are the leading channel for the distribution of blinds, although some custom-mades are also sold through department stores and soft furnishings specialists. DIY outlets distribute a large proportion of ready-made blinds.

Nets have around 8 percent share of the window-coverings market and were worth an estimated £86m in 1997. Sales of nets have been relatively stable over the last few years, experiencing some competition from voiles and blinds. Prices are also being depressed by growing pressure from unbranded, imported product.

There have been some changes in styles, with growing demand for products creating less elaborate effects. The mix between off-the-roll and ready-made nets has experienced little change, with off-the-roll still dominant. Nets are sold through some independent fabric shops, furnishing specialists such as Roseby and Harveys, and Co-operative outlets.

In 1997, this sector was worth just over £100m. Sales increases have been relatively high, with volume growth stimulated by improved house building levels and a buoyant house moving market.

The market consists of wooden poles with a 38 percent share by value, metal poles with 13 percent, plastic tracks with 38 percent, metal tracks with 7 percent and 'others' with 4 percent.

There has been a further move to poles at the expense of tracks, reflecting current fashions. Product development for poles in design terms has accelerated with an increasing range of both wooden and metal pole finishes available.

Plastic tracks have continued to lose share, with only a limited number of consumers persuaded to trade up to higher value ready-corded tracks. Metal tracks however have grown share as they are currently fashionable.

This market is highly concentrated when compared with other window covering products and is dominated by two major suppliers, Swish and Harrison Drape. The majority of tracks and poles at the high volume end of the market are sold through DIY stores and mail order, however higher value products are sold through department stores and independents.

Text © 1998 AMA Research

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