The country has made it’s decision, no matter how many straws the Remain camp wishes to clutch to, the decision has been made, and David Cameron, as well as the main front runners in the Tory leadership have made it very clear that the Brexit decision will go ahead and there will be no second referendum.

So, we have to move forward together. Build bridges, mend relationships and learn how to make the most of what is coming our way. There are always opportunities, and one area that will perhaps come back into focus is business being re-focused back to British companies.

A mini-trend to emerge out of the EU referendum results is a surge in attitude towards buying British-made goods. Take a look at these tweets from Window Widgets and the Residence Collection:

It is clear these two companies intend to crack on and make the best of the situation at hand. Both businesses are known for their support of British commerce, so it is perhaps of no surprise that they have thrown their support behind the “buy British” message at this time.

But it does highlight an increasingly clearer opportunity at a time when politically things are becoming increasingly unclear. In order to boost the UK economy, help create more jobs, help create more stability and growth in the face of what is likely to be a rough few months, buying British is one of the best ways to go about it.

There is nothing better to give the economy a boost or to keep the energy going than to spend hard earned money here, on products that are made here. Now it’s not always possible to do so. Certain scenarios mean that this is not possible. But the message being put out there is clear: if it can be made here, buy it here.

Window Widgets and the Residence Collection are proud about their “made in Britain” fundementals, and I suspect that over the coming months, as our industry prepares to fight against a predicted shallow recession in Q3 and Q4, we will hear much more about buying British window and door products.

What about European products?

Of course it is very easy to promote installers and fabricators to buy British made fenestration products. But in some cases, it isn’t going to be all that simple.

Take for example some of the biggest systems houses, Rehau, Kommerling, Deceuninck for example. All European companies that are heavily rooted on the continent and really see the UK as part of it’s export market. How do these companies intend to navigate the choppy waters of Brexit? Could they see a downturn in business if focus shifts to a more British based model? Could they choose to raise prices to combat a lower Sterling that may take quite a few months to recover? Time will only tell.

Then there is hardware. There are a lot of European based companies that supply our window and door hardware. What is their take on it all? Perhaps it won’t be as bad for these guys. When it comes to hardware manufacturing, British companies are a bit thin on the ground in comparison to the continent and in Asia. Could they also raise prices to protect themselves against a volatile pound? It’s a distinct possibility.

So as installers prepare to receive price increase letters from their suppliers blaming Brexit and European price pressures, British companies producing things here could use this as an ideal opportunity to bring unexpected but welcome new business to their companies.

These are interesting times ahead, and the dynamics of everything in this country, including the window and door sector, looks set to change forever. Lets work together to make sure it’s for the better.

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