This year has been way more positive than we could have expected. 2011 was a tough year for everyone, and no one was expecting this year to be any better. Most thought that this year would be the toughest the industry has faced for decades. Thankfully, this has not materialized.
Last year seemed to be the year of the doors. We sold door after door, hand over fist. People seemed to be prioritizing their entrances over everything else. You can see why. You have to use a door everyday. They provide the first barrier of security to your home. So if people were going to spend any money at all, it would be on replacing these.
With this year being better than last (despite the UK technically being in a very shallow recession) people are being far more positive with their purchases this year. The majority of the jobs we have installed this year have been full houses of windows and doors. Whether people have decided to just go for it and get all the windows done, or the ‘stay put’ effect is really kicking in.
The ‘stay put’ effect I think is one which is more likely. There are those who were going to move but have now decided against it due to the poor housing market. A lot of these people may then be sitting on quite a bit of spare cash which they would have used to help move house, but instead are using it to make whole house improvements.
We have seen a lot of this in discussions with customers. What I also think is happening is that there is a massive secondary shift towards energy efficient windows. Customers are telling us on nearly every occasion that reducing heat loss is one of the main priorities for changing all of their windows and doors.
Either way, any reason is a good reason and as long as this pattern continues we are going to be happy. Another plus is the work load for our fitters. Often full houses equate to a full weeks worth of work. Sign up a few of these contracts in a week and you suddenly have a months worth of work in just a few days! Happy sales force and happy fitters!
Of course, with these sizable contracts, there is more pressure to get things right. The amount of detail compared to single items is ten-fold. These contracts do put a bit more pressure on the surveyor when it comes to final measure. It’s at times like these where skilled and professional staff make sure the work goes through smoothly and there are few hiccups.
Hopefully the positivity will continue throughout the year for all!
