‘Right to Improve’

We may think of a private house move as the biggest stimulus to looking for new windows and doors but when 56,000 householders in the last four years have taken control of their domestic destiny through the Government’s Right to Buy scheme – and when the uptake is growing at a pace – it has to be seen as a significant chunk of potential business.
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Also this week, we have two innovations in the two current industry hot-spots of triple glazing and aluminium. One is a spacer bar designed to accommodate all three panes of a triple glazed unit instead of just glueing two standard spacers between them. Read Story

And the other is a kind of do-it-yourself hybrid PVC-U/ aluminium system that, say the makers, fabricators can create without any specialist equipment. Read Story

And finally, two far more colourful announcements have come at the same time – Milton Jones is to host the G16 ceremony (Read Story) and the FIT Show gala dinner entertainment is to have a Burlesque theme Read Story.

Hybrid, humorous, houseproud, triple glazed or glamorous, we hope there is something for everyone in this week’s issue.

Chris Church Editor

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

This Week's News

Right to Buy still growing

More than 56,000 households have now bought their home through the government’s revitalised Right to Buy scheme since the scheme was restructured in 2012.

New figures issued this week by the DCLG show that purchases in the three months to June are up 21% year on year to 3,350.

In the same quarter, councils received £283 million from sales of homes a 27% increase year on year – which will be reinvested into new homes – which they are now able to do since the restructuring in 2012.

Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell, said: “we’re determined to replace the additional homes sold on a one-for-one basis, nationally - providing new affordable homes for rent for those who need them.”

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Milton Jones to host G16

G16 organisers today announced that Mock the Week regular Milton Jones is to be the host of this year’s gala awards evening at the London Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, on Friday, November 18.

Event organiser Tony Higgin said: “The G-Awards have a great record of first-class comedians as hosts and Milton Jones is the best choice to carry on that tradition.

Milton Jones can be seen regularly on Mock the Week (BBC2), he recently appeared on the latest series of Live at the Apollo (BBC1). Both his Lion Whisperer Live and On The Road Tours played to over 100,000 people in 2011 and his 2013 tour and his most recent Temple of Daft tour played to even more.

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GGF names new President-elect
– and creates new subsidiary group

The GGF has named Alan Burgess of Masterframe as its President-elect following the resignation of Andrew Glover in July.

His appointment, by vote of GGF members is one of four additions to the organisation’s board to be announced this week. Members also voted Stephen Payne of Britelite Windows to be the new Chairman of the Home Improvement Executive HIE.

The GGF Board also ratified two other new Board Members earlier this month, with Alex Gray of Supaseal Glass and Chairman of GGF Scotland and Stephen Forbes of the Nicholls and Clarke Group joining the Board.

On the new additions, Brian Baker, Chairman of the GGF Board said: “I am pleased to welcome all four new Members to the GGF Board. With their individual and collective experience, the new Board Members will add a great deal to the GGF going forward at a time of considerable change and new challenges for our industry.”

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A hybrid system for PVC-U fabricators?

System supplier ALUPLAST says it is offering new market opportunities to fabricators with the launch of two products to create a hybrid PVC-U/ aluminium window without the use of specialist equipment.

Described as a ‘transformer’ system, the company has introduced the Ideal 4000 SquareLine PVC-U casement window system alongside Aluskin, a ‘clip-and-fix’ aluminium cladding that can be fitted to it. As well as giving PVC-U fabricators a route into the burgeoning aluminium market, it also enables aluminium fabs to manufacture a thermally efficient WER A+ window.

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Triple glazing spacer bar

SWISSPACER has launched Triple, a rigid warm edge spacer bar designed specifically for triple glazing.

Swisspacer Triple eliminates the need for two single spacer bars, due to a centre groove which holds the middle pane of glass in place. This also allows sealed unit makers to use slimmer 2mm or 3mm middle panes, reducing the overall weight of the sealed unit, says the company.

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