As well as selling and fitting the blinds, Tony Hillary looked after advertising and manufacturing.

The company grew steadily over the following years and in 1978 production moved to a factory, where 100 people were employed.

In 1982, a second factory opened in Washington, Tyne and Wear, making blinds for customers in the north of England and Scotland.

[2] In 2004, Hillarys announced a second management buyout, backed by Change Capital Partners.

[4] In 2008, a new production facility opened in the Bilborough area of Nottingham, on the Glaisdale Drive Industrial Estate.

The reintroduction of curtains to the Hillarys product range began in Nottinghamshire in 2010, followed by counties in the south of England.

Hillarys was named Nottinghamshire Company of the Year, in the Nottingham Post Business Awards in 2014.

[5] The judges praised Hillarys for its continued investment and growth, despite the difficult trading conditions following the financial crisis of 2007-08.

Some employees work at the company’s three sites at Colwick and Bilborough (Glaisdale) in Nottingham, and Washington, Tyne and Wear.

In May 2017, Hillarys was acquired by the Dutch-listed global blinds company Hunter Douglas for £300 million.