Insight report highlights winners
and losers
3rd October 2017

Mergers and acquisitions …increasing dominance of larger PVC-U fabricators …emergence of large national timber operations …growing brand recognition and ‘trust signals’ …an emerging e-commerce market …all against a backdrop of many businesses seeing significant slowdowns despite an increase in the overall number of businesses in the industry: The 2017 Insight Data Industry Report paints a complex picture of emerging leaders, continuing trends and a few paradoxes among the winners and losers since its last report.

Multi-material fabricators continue to grow, especially with traditionally PVC-U manufacturers adding aluminium to the extent that the 243 companies now doing PVC-U alongside ali now accounts for more than double all other combinations put together. While the proportion is growing, it is still relatively small against the 4,178 total number in all materials.

Despite the trend of major consolidations and mergers, the report says the number of businesses in the industry has increased overall by 328 to 15,099 since the last report in 2014 but based on 1,920 new players against 1,592 disappearing from the database.

The decline in the number of PVC-U fabricators is still continuing, though at a slower pace and now stands at 1,407. However, the reduction is in the smaller operators (up to 100 frames/week) while those at the top end of 1,000-plus has increased from 47 to 68.

On loyalty to PVC-U systems, it notes that while systems companies have reduced and consolidated, fewer fabricators are switching systems but more are manufacturing from multiple sources (175 in total), also boosted by fabricators gaining other systems through acquisition.

Aluminium in some ways follows the pattern of PVC-U fabricators, with a gradual growth in the overall number concealing a decline in the smaller lifestyle businesses in favour of larger, more automated operators.

Meanwhile, the opposite is indicated for window, door and conservatory installers where the numbers continue to grow – currently from 12,609 in 2014 to 13,281 now – largely due to smaller players entering the market, including some leaving bigger companies to set up on their own.

Those smaller operators are also continuing to bolster a trend highlighted in other recent reports, that of the growth in trade counters.

In products specifically, it is no surprise that bifolds, hybrids and flush frames play their part in a general widening of many companies’ offerings.

Insight Data’s managing director, Andrew Scott, said in conclusion: “The industry is currently facing some challenges with more companies now reporting a slowdown in business, some by as much as 15%. However, there are still plenty of opportunities and a number of companies are bucking the trend. The increase in mergers and acquisitions over the last year also points to a realignment of the industry. Market intelligence is the key to informed, strategic decisions.”

The full report is available free for a limited period at www.insightdata.co.uk/reports