In a press release issued by Business Pilot this week, they report that leads for new windows and doors are down 12% in October compared to the previous month. In recent months it has been noticeable that the tone of the conversation has changed. So is this the start of a more protracted decline [...]
And so the shortages of fenestration supplies continue to stack up. This time its silicone. There have been sporadic warnings about the lack of silicone throughout the year, but this one feels a bit more significant. Prices are also going up markedly too. Many are seeing steep double-digit increases, which are only going to [...]
This is a sponsored article by The BMBI: The latest report from the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) reveals that builders’ merchants’ August value sales were 23.0% higher year on year, with Timber & Joinery products once again topping the list of best-performing categories (+51.5%). Helped by one more trading day this year, eleven [...]
Over in Europe, the M&A scene has sparked back into life with the news that Biesse Group, based in Italy, has agreed to buy fellow Italian machinery company Forvet S.p.A. Statement from Biesse Group Here is the announcement from Biesse Group about the acquisition: Biesse Group signs a contract for the acquisition of 100% [...]
In an unprecedented move to communicate the ongoing supply chain problems to the rest of the sector, 19 fenestration sector companies have signed an open letter to the industry in a show of support. #unitedfront It was a comprehensive statement: CONTINUED SUPPLY CHALLENGES Overwhelming demand for construction products since the easing of lockdown restrictions [...]
In figures published by the Office For National Statistics (ONS) this week, they have said that the construction sector has recorded all-time high job vacancies since records began in 2001. Record construction sector job vacancies From July to September, the total number of job vacancies in the construction sector rose to 43,000. That is [...]
The age-old problem of getting paid. It’s worth mentioning from the start that the majority of homeowners are good payers. They pay installers on time, most of the time, and are reasonable people. However, you cannot escape the difficult customers out there, and it does seem that there are more than there used to [...]
During the course of last week, it became apparent that a number of fresh price increases were about to hit the windows and doors market. And we’re not talking about small single-digit increases here. Until now, I would have said that the balance of rising costs versus the ability for homeowners to pay it [...]
One of the most expensive but effective pillars of support provided by the Government during the pandemic, the furlough scheme, is ending today. It has paid the wages of millions of people for 18 months. But now this flagship policy is coming to an end, there are fears that it will spark a wave [...]
It’s becoming easy to lose track of the number of crises the UK is battling through right now. One of the most important to us all however is the gas crisis. Gas is responsible for heating millions of homes and other buildings across the country and is one of the most valuable commodities we [...]
Mergers and acquisitions have been pretty quiet this year. However, this morning the M&A sector has sprung back to life as ASSA ABLOY announce that they are to acquire Arran Isle Ltd. Statement This is what ASSA ABLOY had to say this morning via press release: ASSA ABLOY has signed a definitive agreement to [...]
In the past decade two Governments, the coalition and this current Conservative Government, have tried to launch schemes that intended to encourage homeowners to take out loans and grants to insulate and retrofit their homes. Both failed. They failed for a number of reasons, all very similar to each other. The most recent version [...]
It is earnings season in UK fenestration and some of the biggest companies are dropping their financial results for H1 of 2021, and as was to be expected, Epwin Group’s H1 results are very healthy. Here are the key findings from their report. What you need to know The table below is your brief [...]
A minimum order value is a figure an installation company will charge as the absolute lowest limit they would accept for work to be done. The subject matter of minimum order values came up via a tweet from a company called T And R Home Improvement Specialists. This is what they said: It [...]
The price pressures on the supply chain only continue to grow as Pilkington has announced that they are going to reintroduce their Energy Surcharge, which was dropped in 2014. Glass has been one of the fenestration sector materials most affected by the current supply chain problems and has seen some of the most dramatic [...]
The "pingdemic" and supply chain problems have seen UK growth dribble to just 0.1% in July. This was after June saw GDP growth of 1%. Though COVID restrictions were lifted in July, rules on self-isolation did not change until August. It meant that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people had to spend [...]
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