Everest Windows Warns Of 8.9% Price Increase

In an article published today in The Telegraph, Everest Windows, the rebranded Everest Home Improvements after Anglian Home Improvement took over the deceased company, warned of an imminent 8.9% price increase.

Everest has just started their Winter sale, but they are blaming October’s Budget measures for the price increases which could come as soon as next week.

Big price increase

At nearly 9% this would be in the realms of the price increases we saw during the COVID-induced supply chain collapses which saw inflation run out of control for a sustained period of time.

This time, it is down to the dour Budget which has sent shivers up and down the business community. With pleas from all parts of business to the Chancellor to go back on some of the measures, companies are already taking matters into their own hands before April. Hiring across the board is down, job cuts are already happening and wage rises have been scrapped.

Companies, like Everest, are already beginning to implement price increases to offset the rising costs in National Insurance and other measures which are set to have an inflationary effect on businesses and therefore consumers. This, not long after we have just got over the first inflation earthquake caused by the various COVID measures which pumped hundreds of billions of pounds into the economy whilst we stayed in lockdown.

The article is blocked by a paywall, but if you are subscribed to The Telegraph, you can read the full article here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/10/double-glazing-giant-prepares-inflation-busting-price-rises/

Of course, Everest won’t be the only one to raise their prices in the coming weeks. I have had at least one supplier email before Christmas confirming their prices would be going up over 5% in response to the Budget measures. I assume other fabricators and suppliers will be looking at similar price increases.

For installers, the hit will be two-fold. They will be getting hit with increases from their suppliers as well as costs going up at their own business as well. The end result of all of this is that homeowners are going to be paying a good chunk more this year for their new windows and doors. Just as Labour is trying to embark on a journey to build 1.5m new homes and renovate the tens of millions that need attention.

Inflation coming back

It is not long since we managed to get over the worst of the inflation shock. COVID measures and the war in Ukraine caused energy costs to soar and post-lockdown hyper-spending nearly crushed supply chains around the world as well as our own sectors. Inflation rose to double-digits and emails from suppliers adding hefty price increases almost became a weekly ritual.

Now, we may be looking at another round of inflation just when we really don’t need it. Energy has been rising again over the last six months and has been contributing to the rising inflation we see again. The cost of energy is due to rise again in April.

But it is the Budget measures, coming into force in April, which is going to cause a big jump in costs. Labour, rather untactfully, said businesses could simply “absorb the costs” and get on with it. It does make you wonder how much talking they actually do to businesses because as it happens, businesses are going right ahead and implementing price increases now to offset those measures. These increases get passed down to consumers in the end, and they will see the cost of new windows and doors, as well as other products, more expensive than they were last year.

There is very little we can do to stop the price increases. The one effective way to keep sales coming in is to sell on quality. Rising prices mean there is going to be even more importance on the quality of product and service in order to justify the higher prices we are going to ask consumers to pay. This is going to hit volume-reliant businesses hard. But higher-end companies who sell premium products will still find good avenues to pursue, but it will require willpower and fortitude to make growth happen.