Any colour you like

Time was when every street was dotted with colour and homeowners looked on painting their windows and doors as a statement of personal choice, just as much as their interior décor. Then, when PVC-U came along, those choices were almost always limited to one because, to paraphrase Henry Ford, you could have any colour you liked – as long as it was white. All the more strange was that no one seemed too worried – perhaps this minor detail was overshadowed by the much-vaunted benefits of this new wonder material.

The growth of colour and woodgrains in the last couple of years has been well documented in The Glazine and elsewhere but this growth has been most noticeable in recent weeks, not with one big headline-grabber but with more and more little ones – a couple of extra colour foils, more coloured hardware choices, expanded from-stock ranges and the like. Sometimes, such peripheral details can be a clearer marker to tell us that a trend is digging in for the long term.

Elsewhere, we learn that Inwido, best known for its massive role in windows across Europe, has made another UK acquisition, this time CWG choices, a PVC-U and aluminium fabricator. Read Story

And finally, with apologies for my gross innumeracy in last week’s leader, this coming Friday – which is of course the 5th and not the 3rd – is the final deadline for your submissions to the G16 Awards so, if you haven’t done it already, get online and prepare to show the world what you are made of!
Read Story

Meanwhile, we are now donning our cozzies and knotted hankies in preparation for The Glazine’s two-week summer break and we look forward to being with you again on the 23rd.

See you then.

Chris Church Editor

Please send all your news stories to news@the-glazine.com

This Week's News

Inwido buys CWG

Corby-based PVC-U and aluminium fabricator CWG Choices Limited has been bought by Inwido for £11.6million cash, the second UK acquisition by the Swedish-based company in a year.

Inwido has operations in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania and Poland as well as the UK. The company has around 3,400 employees and last year generated sales of £405million with an operating profit of £45.7million. It is said to be the largest supplier of windows and doors in Europe and one of the biggest timber window suppliers in the UK.

The acquisition is Inwido’s second in the UK in under a year. Last year, it bought premium timber window and door company Jack Brunsdon & Son, adding to its existing UK portfolio of Allan Bros of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Hajom, SnackarPer and Pro-Tec brands, as well as Carlson in the RoI.

Jason Wilder, CWG Choices Managing Director said: “Inwido have taken the lead in the European windows and doors market and the acquisition of CWG Choices will further strengthen their position in the UK.

Read More Here...

GGF welcomes Government changes

The Glass and Glazing Federation has welcomed the changes to the Cabinet and Government departments. 

The key departmental change is the merger of The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the remaining functions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to form a new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The Government has outlined that this new Department will bring together responsibility for business, industrial strategy, and science and innovation with energy and climate change policy.

Nigel Rees, GGF Chief Executive said: “These changes are welcome because it means we can start fresh dialogue and create relationships with new departments, ministers and government officials. Without going into too much detail, it was obvious the Government’s energy efficiency initiatives over the last five years were not working. Only recently, the Government released the cost of £240m for Green Deal and ECO, two schemes that failed both the construction industry and consumers. We hope the new cabinet and departments will listen to industry’s solutions and develop a progressive long term plan that benefits all.”

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Call for investment to tackle construction slump

The Government has been called on to create ‘a significant programme of capital investment’ in response to the news that the construction industry has gone into recession.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “The construction industry has grown steadily over the past few years and for the sector to experience two consecutive quarters of negative growth demonstrates the powerful effect uncertainty and a lack of confidence can have. The Government must now take bold action and do everything in its power to prevent these preliminary estimates by the ONS from becoming more concrete or sustained.

“A firm commitment to invest public funds in capital projects such as house building and infrastructure would go a long way to assuaging fears that demand will dive in the wake of Brexit. The country’s housing crisis and the enormous skills shortage our sector faces owe much to how the construction industry suffered during the last economic downturn – it’s pivotal that we learn from those mistakes and find a way to keep Britain building.”

Read More Here...

Three days to go for
G16 glory

Not submitted your G16 entries yet? Don’t worry, the extended deadline means you still have three more days to complete those submissions to be a part of the biggest event in the industry’s calendar.

With entries still coming in for the 12 categories, this year’s event is promising to be exciting as ever and the standard of entries means it will be every bit as competitive.

As ever, entries are completely free, the judging is carried out by an independent panel of experts and all the winners will be announced at the gala dinner and awards ceremony on Friday November 18 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Read More Here...

Brocko bows out of GMF

Dave Broxton, MD of Bohle Ltd, has stepped down from GM Fundraising. Dave, who joined the GM Fundraising team in 2004 after a number of years attending events, has supported all seven charity cycle rides, launched the first Golf Day in 2004 and has participated in all the other events over the last twelve years. Most recently, he was responsible for planning the Deceuninck sponsored Border2Border Cycling Challenge route and led the support team on the ride.

Speaking at the end of ride party, Dave said: “Border2Border has been the last and, for me, the best of a long list of adventures I have enjoyed whilst working with GM Fundraising. I have countless happy memories from the many gala dinners, golf days and, of course, the previous rides but standing above Crater Lake, Oregon in the snow a few weeks ago was my personal highlight. I am bound to say the team spirit on Border2Border comes a very close second. Twenty-three alpha males and a single female Olympian forced together for over two weeks in the toughest of circumstances without a single cross word and too many hilarious moments to count was a precious thing to be part of and an appropriate conclusion to my personal GM Fundraising journey.”

GM Fundraising Chairman Gary Morton paid tribute to Dave’s contribution to charity fundraising organisation: “Dave has played a pivotal role during his time with the team, specifically on the bike rides. It is with the sincerest of regret that we see him depart, but, given he is moving on with a lovely new wife and arguably a new life, we understand his needs. I only hope he will continue to attend future events and wish both him and Claire a happy life together."

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Home ownership at
ten-year low

Home ownership in England is at its lowest for a decade, with other parts of the UK all declining, according to figures released by the think tank Resolution Foundation.

Major English cities are the worst hit, led by Greater Manchester where the proportion fell from a 72% peak in 2003 to 58% this year, while the figure for all England fell from 71% to 64% in the same period.

The organisation says incomes have not kept up with house prices during that time and aspiring homebuyers no longer have benefits such as 100% mortgages.

Read More Here...