There’s no doubting that the industry got back into the swing of things in September. A very busy month in UK fenestration on all sorts of fronts. So as we head into the last quarter of the year and the final straight towards the holiday period, there is no better time to take look back at the industry during the month of September.
Acquisitions and breaking news
Easily the biggest story throughout the month of September was the sad demise of Lister Trade Frames. Although I broke the news on the very last day of August, the news caused shockwaves throughout the next few weeks.
Listers is a staple of the industry. One of the longest established names in our sector. Well respected with a good reputation and hard working team. You can catch up on my post of this breaking news by clicking here.
The good news however is that Listers was not long in administration. Roy Frost, fresh from his GJB acquisition at the end of July, was able to step in a rescue Listers and have since got them back up and running. You can catch up on that story here.
There was more good news. On the same day as the Listers announcement, Latium was able to step in to rescue trouble home improvement group Entu. Again, although I broke the story on August 31st, it rippled throughout the month of September as jobs were saved and one of the biggest groups in our sector was given a vital lifeline. You can catch yourself up on that dramatic story right here.
Following on from the Listers administration, the industry said goodbye to a bastion of the sector as Mark Warren announced that he was to step down. Mark is a well known, well loved and highly respected member of the UK fenestration community, who served many roles, often at the very highest parts of our industry. To catch up on his history and the story, click here.
The departures continued in September as David Leng, CEO of Synseal for 8 years announced that he was to step down from the role. David oversaw the MBO and then rapid expansion of the group which saw the size of the business grow dramatically and expand group revenues on a large scale. An achievement I am sure he is proud of, and I am sure we have not seen the last of him in the spotlight in the industry. You can catch up on that story here.
#NFA17 nominations phase ends
At the end of the month, the longest ever nominations phase of the National Fenestration Awards came to an end. This year’s campaign saw a record 299 nominations submitted. The voting lists are being compiled and the NFA website is being prepared to start the vote to decide this year’s crop of winners, with it all going live on Thursday October 5th.
This year’s G Awards finalists were also announced, and you can catch up on those shortlists here.
Sales strong
As you would expect, the energy returned to the sector as kids went back to school, families came home from their summer holidays and parents could once again focus on things at home.
At our place, you can generally time to the day when things get going again. Although I hasten to add that August was unusually busy for the time of year. But it was definitely as though someone had turned the leads and sales tap back on. There was a most distinct shift upwards, and the pre-Christmas commentary from home owner began in earnest.
It always makes me laugh at this time of year, as home owners rush to get their new windows and doors fitted before Christmas. I don’t get what the big deal is to get them in in the weeks before Christmas, as though it makes a difference. Still, this time of year does make for healthy sales and pretty much guarantees a full fitting schedule well before the end of the year.
In my usual conversation with various people, I got the same sense that the pre-Christmas rush period had begun, with sales and leads strong for others and full fitting schedules.
I guess it won’t be all that long before fitting schedules for many installers will be full for the year. I know that we only have a few weeks left before we are full, with fitting well into November.
DGB in September
Every month I give an update as to the performance on this website, and I am happy to report that September was a corker…
The very heavy news flow throughout September drove much of the traffic during the last month. I cannot remember a period of time so short where so many big stories broke. It made for a rollercoaster of a month, and of course created traffic to sites like this one.
I am happy to see strong year-on-year growth, and with this month in the bank, I am well on the way to smashing my 2017 yearly targets. The question now is how close to all-time yearly records I can get. If more big stories break, then there is every chance.
Top 5 most read posts in September
- David Leng To Leave Synseal
- Roy Frost Acquires The Assets Of Lister Trade Frames
- Safestyle Share Price Plummets After Latest Profit Warning
- And It’s Goodnight From Him…
- Could There Be A Wave Of Industry Disruption?
A look to October
I am not quite sure how October might be able to top September in terms of industry action. I doubt we’ll have so many high profile stories break in such a short space of time. But I have been wrong before.
On the business front, installers and fabricators will be gearing up for a busy couple of months as we head into the final quarter of the year. The time to make hay is during October and November as December is always quiet. But with the latest Palmer Market Research report pointing to signs of trouble in the coming years, will 2017 be the last good year for the industry for a while?
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