Central Auckland Venluree licensee Dion Townsend in a typical service vehicle.
Central Auckland Venluree licensee Dion Townsend in a typical service vehicle.
Central Auckland Venluree Licensees, Dion Townsend and Jo Hill have operated the business since 2013, managing the area from Tauranga, where they reside.
"This has been a major challenge and we have decided to sell the Central Auckland licence, in order to focus on our business closer to home" says Jo.
The Central Auckland licence is being marketed for sale by Daren Leng, licensed business broker for ABC Business Sales.
Venluree is a long-established brand with formidable market acceptance, but managing this busy area from afar has not been the ideal management configuration, says Daren.
He expects a new locally-based operator will be able to grow the Central Auckland business rapidly.
Venluree has been a household name for generations of New Zealanders since its conception in 1966. The business started out cleaning and repairing blinds but quickly recognised a need for good quality, well-designed and competitively priced window coverings.
Venluree built a blind manufacturing plant, and over time managed to protect and cover more than a million New Zealand doors and windows.
It now specialises in custom-made window furnishings for the New Zealand environment. The factory in East Tamaki manufactures blinds, awnings and screens, while the manufacture of curtains and shutters is outsourced.
"Blinds represent the lion share of sales (about 75 per cent), with block-out roller-blinds and sun filters the biggest sellers.
"Shutters are a growing product line, representing a significant opportunity, with Evolution blinds offering another opportunity for growth," says Dion.
"These synthetic venetian blinds were designed for wet areas; they look like painted timber blinds, but are a more cost-effective option, and they're proving a popular choice for entire homes".
Curtains are the newest product line, and Venluree have supply agreements with Warwick, James Dunlop, Charles Parsons, and Gummerson.
Three of these suppliers have showrooms in Auckland, which is a great resource for customers to visit. Awnings represent a small percentage of sales, however, these are bigger ticket items so the earnings per-unit make them a viable product line.
The vendors have not sold screens in Auckland, primarily due to the limited time that they spend in the area and inquiries for these have been re-allocated to surrounding licenses. Therefore screens provide yet another opportunity for growth.
The business offers a good return to a working owner or a working couple undertaking the quoting and installation of products. However, these functions are currently outsourced.
Venluree Classic Roman blinds.
Leng says the asking price for $170,000 represents very good value in the market.
He points out that the business does not come with plant or equipment.
The new owner of the licensed area would need to purchase a late model van, similar to a Toyota Hiace and some tools, estimated cost of which would be $30,000-$40,000 depending on whether it was bought new or used..
