About us

History

Custom Group was founded in 1974 by Richard J. Rybij, an Ilkeston-born man who combined his skill in sales and manufacturing of soft furnishings to offer a fast, quality curtain manufacturing service.

The 'Custom Curtain Company' was formed, and its success in the retail market quickly spread to the commercial sector. The same principles of attention to detail and customer care resulted in the company being awarded prestigious contracts in the UK and internationally; the business was subsequently incorporated in 1987.

The 1990s saw the manufacture of window blinds commence, along with the launching of a specialist theatre division, formed to provide curtains, seating and other drapery products for some of the most prominent performance venues in the UK and abroad. Projects included refurbishing all the soft furnishings for The Point Depot in Dublin and rejuvenating the Lyceum Theatre in London in time for Prince Charles' 50th Birthday Party.

The early 2000s saw a company name change, Custom Group Ltd, to reflect the increasing range of products offered by the business. The expansion of all divisions led to the construction of the company's current headquarters, adding additional valuable office space, conferencing facilities and production capacity to alleviate pressure on its other two existing factory units.

With an ever-growing customer and product portfolio, this additional manufacturing space was quickly utilised, leading to the acquisition of two adjacent factory units in 2016. These were integrated rapidly into what is the current manufacturing facility.

Although the company has changed and evolved over the last few decades, the core values of product quality, service speed, and professionalism remain resolute. These values, coupled with an expanding product and customer base combined with investment in the latest production and process technology, position the company for a long and exciting future.