Blind faith pays off for manufacturer Hopkins

ONE OF Birmingham’s oldest manufacturing companies is cashing in on the revival of a high street tradition – the Victorian shop blind awning.

Aston-based Hopkins has seen the renaissance of the old-fashioned shop blind and is now getting orders from companies all over the UK and Ireland. Hopkins has been supplying traditional awnings for several years, but sales of shop blinds and fittings have trebled in the last year.

The blinds died out from British street scenes after the war, but thanks to the trend towards café culture, they are now seeing a re-emergence. And that trend has meant a big business boost for Hopkins, which has been manufacturing in Birmingham since 1750.

“Local authorities have been concentrating on improving high streets over recent years, and that, combined with the smoking ban, has seen a jump in demand for traditional pub and shop blind awnings,” said Hopkins managing director Alex Hopkins.

“We have remained faithful to the original concept, but introduced modern manufacturing techniques to reduce cost, cut down on production time and improve quality.  Traditionally, the blinds would have been made by a blacksmith, but using modern technology we can produce high quality blinds, individually made to customer specifications, in a fraction of the time,” he added.

The traditional awning, unlike many modern awnings, is tough enough to withstand the changeable British weather, while offering something that is aesthetically pleasing. Many of the components are still made in the traditional way, for instance the fittings are still made in the West Midlands from cast iron, and the box to house the awning is prepared by a skilled carpenter and finished by hand.

Hopkins, based in Jameson Road, specialises in making and supplying high quality, bespoke blind, awning and shutter rollers and associated components. The company, which has been in Birmingham since the 18th century, also has a precision engineering division. The family-owned company combines the very best traditional Birmingham engineering skills with the latest computer controlled precision manufacturing.