Two carpentry-trained friends who once juggled night shifts on the London Underground with daytime shutter fitting have grown from a garage-based two-person start-up into one of the UK’s leading independent shutter companies, with a £6m turnover and revenue target of £10m+ by 2028.
Along the way, they’ve survived disasters such as their very first shipment being destroyed at Felixstowe docks (with no stock insurance in place) and turned those lessons into the foundations of a successful business, now employing 50+ people operating across London, Essex, Berkshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire.
The company has doubled its revenue in the past three years and continues to invest in growth, quality, and sustainability.
Overview
Founded in 2006 by friends, Ashley Weight and Ross Evans, ShuttersUp was born with the ethos of combining craftsmanship with outstanding customer care.
Both Ashley and Ross trained as carpenters, and their trade roots remain at the heart of the business.
Every ShuttersUp product is made to measure, with an emphasis on expert installation, durability, and design. With a 15-year warranty as standard, the company has built a reputation for quality that’s reflected in its abundant five-star Trustpilot reviews and testimonials from well-known clients including Rachel Stevens and Jamie Lomas.
The product range spans everything from classic full-height plantation shutters to bespoke solutions for unusual window shapes. Shutters are cultivated from ethically and sustainable sourced Paulownia Hardwood using its manufacturer’s own trees to protect existing forests, or made from 100% waterproof PVC, with a wide-ranging colour palette.
In October 2025, ShuttersUp added faux wood shutters to its range – manufactured in Northern Ireland, these shutters can be installed within just 2–4 weeks of ordering, complementing ShuttersUp’s existing collection of premium hardwood plantation shutters, which have a longer lead time due to their overseas production and shipping process.
The Felixstowe forklift disaster
The duo’s first big break turned into their first major setback. They initially went straight to source – a factory in China, who made it clear they would need to commit to at least 80m² of shutters a month to even begin ordering. At the time, ShuttersUp were barely doing half that volume, but with support from friends and family alongside word-of-mouth referrals from happy early customers, they managed to hit the target.
When the very first shipment arrived at Felixstowe docks, a forklift truck had driven straight into the boxes, destroying half the order. To make matters worse, the two young founders – just 21 at the time – hadn’t taken out stock insurance.
Ross explains: “At just 21 years old, finding the money to replace those shutters was no small challenge. Even harder was making the dreaded phone calls to customers, explaining that their shutters would need to be reordered. Thankfully, many of those first customers were friends and family, so they were incredibly understanding but for us, it was incredibly embarrassing.”
That moment became a turning point for ShuttersUp, with Ashley and Ross vowing never to be in that position again. Since then, ShuttersUp has always had comprehensive stock insurance in place, and they make it a priority to tell customers that they have invested in this protection on their behalf.
Looking ahead
Ashley and Ross have now built a culture where attention to detail, trust, and aftercare are paramount. Their ambition is for ShuttersUp to become the most loved service in the UK. With demand for quality, sustainable home improvement solutions rising, they are confident in their plan to achieve the £10m+ revenue milestone by 2028.
Ashley concludes: “We’re proud to have grown from my grandmother’s garage to employing over 50 people, but what matters most is the reputation we’ve built for doing things properly – built on care, craftsmanship and customer satisfaction. Our next chapter is about expanding while keeping those same values at the core.”
