Well, if I were to use one word to characterise the month of February, it would be ‘winter’. The so-called Beast from the East ensured that Winter came back with a bang as we head into the official start of Spring. Wrecking fitting schedules for installers up and down the country.

Before we head into March and hope for better weather, this is my take on February in the window and door industry.

A busy February?

If January was a bit of a sleepy month on the sales front, perhaps you would expect February to pick up a little bit? From what I hear, yes and no.

For us at our installation company, February was far better on the sales front. Leads were good too, but there was a distinct uptick in customers coming in to sign up. And for all sorts of work too. Windows, doors, roofline and solid roof conversions.

Not sure the same could be said for everyone. I have heard mixed things out there about February in installation and fabrication. Some busy, some not so busy. I think it depends on your location in the UK.

The colder weather at the back end of the month would not have helped either. We like to tout the advantages of new windows and doors when the weather turns extreme. It’s a home run. But, the reality is that when it does turn cold and snowy, the schools close, the kids are home and people are far less inclined to get out and visit showrooms and book appointments. There is always the possibility that during the cold weather people are getting ready to book those appointments. If so, March could be a barnstormer.

Fairly slow news month

Other than the weather, February was pretty quiet on the news front. January was jam packed from the start to the finish, which helped to boost DGB site stats.

This month though, quiet in comparison. There was of course plenty of talk about. But nothing in the way of breaking news, acquisitions or mergers. These are usually the things that get people talking.

There are a few rumours knocking about though. March could be the month where the breaking news resumes and we can all get talking again!

Snow joke

It wouldn’t be right to miss out on showing you some of the white stuff:

Yes, that’s my mum. And yes, we spent Wednesday morning shovelling snow. But, we got it cleared, put down some grit and got some work done. Eventually.

I realise that your social media timelines will have been filled with pictures of the snow. I turn into a kid when we get a good dump of the white stuff. We only get it like this here in West Yorkshire every few years, so I like to make the most of it.

DGB Tech

How DGB did

As always, I give you a little report as to how DGB performed during the previous month. I’m happy to report that the news was very good once again…

It was a pretty slow news month, but I’m pleased to notch 30% growth rates for February. Those figures still put me well on course for me to achieve my 2018 yearly targets early. The snow at the end of the month might have helped a tad, as people were either stuck at home or in their office with little else to do.

Moving into March, I am hoping to release a new large area of the DGB website. Something I am starting to create in conjunction with one of the industry’s largest companies, so all being well I can unveil that soon. It will become a large part of the future of DGB, and will hopefully promote better things for the sector as a whole.

Top 5 most read

This is the list of the top 5 most read posts published on DGB:

  1. The Anti-PVCu Narrative Has Already Started To Creep In
  2. The 240/480 Hour Salt Spray Test Is Now A Joke
  3. Finally, A Breakthrough With The On-Going An Illegal Use Of Low Sightline Heritage Units
  4. There Will Be More Big Industry Buyouts This Year
  5. Why Window And Door Prices Won’t Be Coming Down Any Time Soon

A look ahead to March

I think we can all hope that the thaw sets in and Spring starts properly. The weather we saw at the end of February certainly does not encourage people into window and door showrooms. That being said, I remember an Easter a few years ago where we were digging ourselves out of snow drifts up at the office, so I guess the snow threat could still linger.

As I mentioned above I should be unveiling a new part of the DGB ecosystem. Also, there is a chance that some of the deals in the rumour mill could come to fruition. As always, keep it DGB to find out the latest first.

Here’s to a prosperous, warmer March!

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