Written by the legendary John Sullivan, Only Fools and Horses is one of the best-loved British TV series of all time. First broadcast on BBC1 in 1981, it ran for 10 years, becoming the most watched television programme in history. It also returned for several Christmas specials until 2003.Played by David Jason, Derek "Del Boy" Trotter always has some money-making scheme up his sleeve. Sadly, most of them go horribly wrong and often end up costing him money!Del Boy's younger brother, Rodney, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, is the more cautious and sensible sibling, who is swept along with Del Boy's crazy schemes, often against his better judgement.The rest of the Trotter clan, including Grandad (Lennard Pearce) and Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield), plus a host of other memorable Peckham characters, were much loved by the Great British public.In fact, more than 24 million people tuned into the 1996 Christmas special, when Del Boy and Rodney finally came into money when they sold a rare antique clock at auction. Reliant RegalThe Trotter brothers were famous for their battered old three-wheeler van, the yellow Reliant Regal with "Trotters Independent Traders" emblazoned on the side - T.I.T. for short!  Although it looked like it was on its last legs, the van had a surprising and unexpected turn of speed, featuring in some of the funniest episodes of the series.In one episode, Rodney goes on a date with Nerys, the barmaid at the Nag's Head. He hears that she prefers macho men, so to impress her, he wears a leather jacket and acts tough, as he tears through the streets with Status Quo blasting out.Unfortunately, the hapless Rodders is later chased by a gang of angry youths in a sports car. The ensuing high-speed chase sees Rodney racing past two police officers at temporary traffic lights, when his three-wheeler goes flying through the air at the brow of a hill and almost knocks down a number of pedestrians!Rodney is no boy racer and he screams blue murder throughout the whole chase, as the Reliant Regal swerves all over the road and pavement.The trusty car was a very important part of the series, since it was used to transport all the dodgy goods which Del Boy and Rodney were selling on the market. It carried everything from exploding blow-up dolls to barking toy dogs that fell out of the back door and bounced around the road, with the police in hot pursuit. Mark II CortinaIn another episode, Rodney buys an old Mark II Cortina, which turns out to be a death trap… with no brakes! After careering down the road, barely able to stop, Rodney tries to sell his car (which he bought for £25) for £199 to make a serious profit!Ironically, after Rodney and Del sell the dodgy Cortina to an abrupt Australian who doesn't like "Cockneys" and thinks they are out to con him, the Trotters actually crash into it later on, when they are driving their friend Boycie's E-Type Jaguar!Boycie had asked Del to look after his car for a week, so the Trotter brothers went out on the town and managed to get some girls' phone numbers. When Rodney accidentally throws the numbers out of the car window, mistaking them for rubbish, Del does an emergency stop and has the accident with Rodney's former Cortina! Capri GhiaCars in general play a major role in Only Fools and Horses, with the leading characters usually experiencing various disasters in them.There were also some poignant moments, including when Del and Rodney drove to Uncle Albert's funeral in a Ford Capri Ghia - the crème de la crème of Capris.Rodney wasn't a big fan of the car and nicknamed it the "pratmobile", in reference to the rather more desirable Batmobile. It had tiger-print faux fur seats, six extra fog lamps and pink aerials. As if that wasn’t naff enough, it was painted lurid bright green!With some rather special pronunciation, Del Boy called it his "Capri Gear", rather than "Ghia". The Capri became almost as iconic as the Reliant Regal over time. Luxury carsBoycie, played by John Challis, was a used car salesman, who had a showroom full of some classic, and some not so classic cars. His own E-Type Jaguar was his pride and joy, until Del crashed it!In fact, Boycie’s car showroom played an integral role in the most exciting plot of Only Fools and Horses, when Del and Rodney became multi-millionaires after their famous antique clock sale netted them a fortune.Del went to look at his dream car, a Rolls-Royce, but couldn't believe he had come into money and was almost too scared to buy it. Meanwhile, Rodney went into Boycie's office at the showroom and told him they wanted to buy the Rolls-Royce.Boycie was very smug, not knowing the Trotters had come into money, so he laughed at Rodney and asked if he was on drugs - until Rodney pulled a letter out of his pocket confirming they had sold a Harrison Lesser timepiece for £6.2 million at auction!Finally, in a very poignant moment, Rodney buys the Rolls-Royce for Del and hands him the keys and the brothers hug warmly. This scene proved how wonderful Only Fools and Horses was, with its unique knack of mixing comedy with genuine emotion… a sure-fire winner with the audience. Bidding warsIn 2016, Boycie's 1973 Jaguar from the show sold for £115,000 at auction. It had been expected to fetch £85,000 at Blenheim Palace, but went for much more. The "old English white" Jaguar E-Type Series III was sold by a Swansea businessman, although the buyer's details weren't made public.In 2017, Del Boy's yellow 1968 Reliant Regal van sold for almost £42,000 at auction. After the series ended, it had been bought by someone described as a "superfan", who finally sold it at Silverstone Auctions of Warwickshire. The estimate for the van had been £20,000, but a bidding war resulted in the price doubling.Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts (CAS) supplies and installs shopfronts that are suitable for car showrooms. Give your premises a contemporary and welcoming feel with one of our high-quality exteriors.Please contact us for details of our products and services - we'd love to talk to you!

Britain's florists are preparing for one of the busiest times of year. To celebrate Valentine's Day, a staggering £262 million is spent on flowers for loved ones.It's important to look for the perfect gift for the big day and saying it with flowers is something that 75% of British men will be doing on 14th February.Symbolising love, romance and passion, red roses are the most popular Valentine’s flower - around 43% of the flowers sold are red roses, usually in bunches of 12 cut stems.This means that 57% of customers are looking for something different - other Valentine's Day contenders include anemones, camellia, freesia, lilies, daisies, tulips and carnations, to name but a few.© asife / Adobe Stock Booming industryThe cut flower industry in the UK is worth around £2 billion annually. Special occasions such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas are the main times when thousands of orders are guaranteed.For the florists vying for supremacy, it's a case of buying in additional items that can complement the flowers. This makes it convenient for customers to buy the perfect flowers and also another gift, all under one roof - such as a decorative vase, a box of chocolates, a teddy or a silk heart.High-street florists have diversified their range of products to keep pace with the times and fend off stiff competition from online retailers. History of floristryThe earliest records of flower-arranging as an art date back to the Ancient Egyptians in 2,500 BC. They would place cut flowers in vases and create highly stylised arrangements as table decorations and for occasions such as processions.Illustrations of intricate Ancient Egyptian flower arrangements have been found painted on walls and carved in stone.During the Ancient Greek period, dating from 600 BC to 150 BC, floristry provided decorations for the home and even for clothing, with herbs added to further enhance the displays.Floristry became popular in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, the delicate arrangements contrasting with the symmetrical Baroque architecture of France, which was the first European country to embrace floral exhibits from around 1610.In the United States, during the colonial era, flowers and herbs were first grown for medicinal purposes and floral decorations in the home were simple. In the UK, floral arrangements grew in popularity during the Victorian era, when they became more lavish.Roses became popular, as did dahlias, tulips, lilies and fuchsias. This was the first era when floristry began to develop as an industry and particular styles of flower arranging started to take shape. Window displaysToday, florists offer many services and they can even make sure your Valentine's gift is personalised for that special someone. Retailers will use flowers to promote their window displays, especially near Valentine’s day.Floral displays create a huge visual appeal and those with stunning window displays, close to a main shopping area, will be assured of brisk business.Many new floristry businesses begin on a market stall, or in small premises close to a main transport link, such as a busy commuter line, or a bus station. This gives them a steady flow of passing trade and it means they can build up their business and income over time, before investing in larger premises. Shift to "buy British"This Valentine's Day, an estimated 90% of the cut flowers will be imported from overseas, according to surveys. This is because the winter's weather in the UK isn't conducive to producing the volume of flowers that will be required to cope with the demand.However, there's a growing trend among British florists to buy more local blooms. Organisations such as The British Flower Collective and Flowers From the Farm are helping to coordinate the efforts to buy British.They say the advantage is that local flowers stay fresher for longer, as the transportation time is reduced. International flowers can take more than a week to arrive after being cut. Popular Valentine's flowersThe average price of a bunch of 12 red roses this Valentine's Day will be around £32 and an additional 250 million extra roses will be grown just for the special day.Of the roses bought by men for their loved one, 43% will be red. Other colours are also popular, with pink roses symbolising grace, yellow roses meaning friendship and white roses suggesting beauty and innocence.Red tulips represent true love, while pink carnations are sent to someone you'll never forget, and lavender signifies devotion.Research has shown that a massive 95% of customers will be more likely to go into a shop if it has an attractive exterior, so it's important that florists get their Valentine's window display on point. If the exterior looks uninviting, 52% of customers say they would be less likely to cross the threshold.Ensure your premises look their best by contacting Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts (CAS) and enquiring about our specialist services. We represent expertise, high quality, value for money and excellent customer service and after-sales care.For retail premises that stand out from the crowd, contact our friendly and knowledgeable advisors for further details of our range of products and services.

The latest innovation to enhance the high street is technical window displays. As technology gets increasingly advanced, just about anything is possible - and today's digital displays are integrated so seamlessly into our everyday lives that we possibly don't even realise how many there are.When we're out shopping, digital signage solutions can attract and charm us. They're not just a flashy marketing tool. They can improve the overall customer experience and when used as part of a window display, they will attract passers-by into your store, who may otherwise have simply walked past.© Monkey Business / Adobe StockSavvy retailers are incorporating the latest digital technology into their marketing techniques. Whereas a shop window display in years gone by was often colourful and attention-grabbing, ultimately it was static.Today, interactive displays can further enhance the customers' opinion of the store and interest them before they even step through the door. Striking window displays offer some serious benefits for retailers. Total experiencePeople love interacting with things. Whereas a static window display might catch our eye, we enjoy the total experience of seeing and touching something interesting. It's more likely to draw us in.The difference between an interactive and a static window is like watching a live band busking in the street, compared with reading a poster on a bus shelter about their forthcoming gig. We'll be automatically drawn to something interactive, while we might easily walk past the poster, especially if we're in a rush.This typical human behaviour is the main reason why interactive displays are so valuable for high street stores. They have the "wow" effect that makes us want to go in and experience more. Engaging and funAn interactive retail display has a big impact on customer engagement, creating loyalty and confidence towards the brand. Any type of interaction with a brand makes the customer more likely to remember the store and the brand in future.In addition, interaction provides more fun and entertainment. Trying out an interactive display is something we'll enjoy doing. Increasing the entertainment aspect of shopping is a bonus for retailers, because shopping is supposed to be fun, rather than a chore.Customers will want to try out these new tools that are putting the fun back into the high street. A prime example of this is Nike's interactive window displays at Selfridges in London.These included one window where customers walking past outside were invited to stand on a marked spot on the pavement and jump as high as they could. The height of their jump was measured electronically and displayed as part of the window display. They could even see the resulting photo of their jump in a gallery in the shop window!The Dutch creative agency, Staat, had designed and created eight interactive window displays for Nike at Selfridges. The windows were on display during the 2012 London Olympics, with each window display interacting with passers-by in a different way. The technology creating the interactivity was provided by Kinect. EducationalAs well as being fun, technical window displays are educational. Retailers are continually searching for ways to let customers know about their products without being intrusive. The integration of touch screens and videos can attract customers' attention, letting them know about a product's features and benefits.The display can demonstrate a product and point customers towards a sale. This can be a more successful method of imparting information to customers, rather than having a salesperson approach and try to enter into a discussion.Consumers would generally rather be in control of when and how they get the information - many don't like being forced into a conversation. They would rather see an interactive window display at their leisure. FlexibilityThe beauty of technical window displays is that they are flexible. The retailer can change them as often as they choose. They can test the content and find out what attracts people the most - this is made possible by a content management system.Digital menu boards are everywhere today, from fast food stores to petrol stations. They give retailers the option of changing the information as many times in the day as they like, within seconds. The way in which the menu boards are constantly changing give consumers the feeling that all of the items on sale are fresh and new. Target audienceTechnical window displays can be geared up to a business's target audience. For example, a car showroom can give customers the drive of their life, as high-quality driving sequences can be projected showing the various vehicles in action. This enables potential customers to visualise themselves in the driving seat.Travel agents can transport potential customers to exotic shores and their dream destination and make dreams a reality by using a technical window display. Window shoppers can take a look at the bargain holidays on offer, while taking virtual tours of the hotels or leisure attractions.High street stores can also use their interactive window display to advertise their business partners' complementary services. This provides the potential for the service to become self-financing.Thanks to today's new tech, the possibilities for window displays are endless and in the current competitive retail environment, retailers need to ensure they have an edge over competitors by having the best window displays on the high street.Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts supplies and installs modern high-quality shopfront windows to give your premises a head start. Please contact us for further information - we look forward to hearing from you!