As we meander through the second half of the year, our industry’s biggest companies are reporting on their H1 trading results, in what is likely to be the most disruptive business period we’ll all ever have to operate in.

Eurocell on their website reported their trading results in-depth. You can read the breakdown and analysis of their results by clicking here. Below is a press release digesting those results:

Eurocell looks forward to strong windows and doors sector post COVID-19

Eurocell plc. in its recent trading update, announced that it is in a strong position to move forward from the COVID-19 lockdown and ensure its fabricator partners can source the products, services and solutions they need as the industry gets back on its feet.

The leading manufacturer, distributor and recycler of PVC-U window, door, conservatory and roofline systems stated that by the end of June all bar one of its manufacturing plants, branch network, distribution and recycling operations were open.

The one exception is a recycling site in Selby which is expected to be open by the end of July due to an increasing demand for recycled material.

The speed at which Eurocell has returned to near complete operations means that it is well placed to support the window and door industry as it recovers from the lockdown. Since re-opening in May, Eurocell’s branch network has been busy fulfilling orders, with a 6% increase in sales in June compared to the same period last year. The trade sector has been exceptionally busy, with many fabricators reporting orders levels well above the seasonal average.

The trading update outlined that sales were very much in line with expectations to the end of March and despite the closure of operations for a period the company achieved £94 million for the first six months of the year. The return to work in May saw sales rising rapidly and the company was able to take on additional business through market share gains in the roof sector and the introduction of new products including a range of outdoor living solutions.

In order to further ensure that it can meet a growing demand for its products, Eurocell is continuing with plans to open a 260,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art warehouse in early 2021. This warehouse will improve Eurocell’s capacity while providing a number of operational efficiencies.

Ian Kemp, Sales Director at Eurocell plc, said: “In line with the government’s guidance, we temporarily closed plants, distribution and recycling operations on 23rd March. When the guidance changed in May we began a phased reopening while taking care to maintain good health and safety performance, with safe working practices for COVID-19 implemented across the business.

“We know that many people in the building industry have been concerned about the reliable supply of materials due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions we’ve taken to not only reopen the business but actively grow it means that we are well placed to work with fabricators and our partners in the glazing industry to collectively navigate a way back to normality.

“Our commitment to providing the industry with what it needs goes further than just getting back to the way things were at the beginning of the year, as we’re also increasing our operations with a new warehouse so that we can provide a better service than ever before.

“In addition, we’ve been busy launching new products which we know the market wants, such as our range of garden rooms. These are ideal right now, as they provide a way for people to create more space at home where they can not only live and work but also enjoy the summer sunshine.” For more information about Eurocell visit www.eurocell.co.uk.

Record sales

Another update and more reports of records being set. After concerns about demand upon reopening, companies up and down the supply chain have now had the opposite problem to deal with, and that’s the surge after lockdown.

I think perhaps a bit of nuance here. Its very good to see companies recording records. Whilst some haven’t been able to survive, the positive business environment since mid-May will have alleviated some concerns about how the sector might perform in the coming months. For me, if we had not been hearing about record months then there really would have been something major to worry about. Since mid-May you have had the resumption of work and orders paused as we went into lockdown in March. You have also had the surge of customers and work sites that weren’t able to go about their planned works all rushing at once to get their orders in to make up for lost time. The end result is huge June and July 0rder books that are larger than usual. So I guess it should come as no surprise.

Despite the good news, the Eurocell share price has been trading at the low end of a narrow range since stock markets bottomed out earlier on in the year:

Credit: Google

If you take a look at the companies traded on the markets the chart above looks very similar to those as well. So although the reporting for H1 has had a decent silver lining running through most of them, it looks as though traders are being cautious about the longer-term prospects. There are some major hurdles for the UK economy drawing pretty close now and predictions don’t sound great. I suspect traders are keeping some powder dry.

What June and July have done for the sector however is to restore some of a platform from which to secure itself as we head towards the end of the year which could be very rocky. Hopefully, the business that has been done has been profitable and bank balances have been restored as much as possible. The priority now for the fenestration sector is to keep this surge of business going for as long as possible as we head towards Autumn and Winter.

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