Shopping spree

There are some hints of optimism to pierce the winter gloom this week with reports that fabricators have been investing in the future with a near record shopping spree on new machinery, according to one supplier Read Story, and that housebuilding contracts showed a much-needed upturn
Read More.

The news on the home front will be welcomed by the Lords who compiled last year’s report on the country’s housing crisis, then were less than thrilled at the speed of the Government’s response. However, the debate on the issue begins in the Upper House today Read More.

By the way, for those early birds who like to get a head start on life, registration is now open for the FIT Show in May, which of course this year will be at its new NEC venue.

…and, for those not-so-early smaller traders who have left their online self-assessment tax returns until close to next week’s deadline – you now have the pleasure of knowing it will be checked by someone who recently heard that Ken Dodd got a knighthood in the New Year Honours.

We do hope you are tickled by this week’s issue.

Chris Church Editor

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

This Week's News

Machinery investment shows sustained market confidence

Low interest rates and availability of finance are enabling continuing investment by fabricators and glass processors, according to Promac Group, which reports near record installation activity throughout last year.

Managing Director Joe Hague said: “LIBOR, the rate of interest at which banks lend to each other, remains at an historically low level, which means business borrowing is also very low.

“At the same time, the controls introduced since the 2008 financial crisis and credit crunch mean that there is also not only a high level of liquidity within the banking sector but also banks are incentivized to lend it.

Read More Here...

Word of mouth still
rules as top lead
generator – survey

Nearly two thirds of installers still rate word of mouth as the biggest source of new business while fewer than a quarter cite their website as the main lead generator, according to a new survey.

However, an overwhelming majority of consumers still check out a company online once it has been recommended to them, showing that a strong website is still a vital part of the overall process.

The figures are from the Consumer Protection Association Annual Installer Industry Report, prepared by sight Data to carry out the survey, which asked more than 12,000 installers a series of questions about their business performance and expectations for the industry.

Read More Here...

Lords begin debate on housing crisis

The House of Lords is today due to begin its debate on the ‘ Building Better Places’ Select Committee Report on National Policy for the Built Environment.

The report was first published last February but in November the Government was criticised for an ‘unacceptable delay’ in replying to its findings, when Baroness O’Cathain, who chaired the committee, said much of the debate had been overtaken by more recent developments.

When the report was published, she had said: "It is increasingly clear that we need to build more houses in England and we wholeheartedly support that objective. However, if we build those houses in the wrong place, to a poor standard, without the consent of local communities we are only storing up future misery for the people in those houses and others nearby.

Read More Here...

Home building and planning both up in 2016

Domestic construction showed strong growth in 2016, with an 11% upturn in contract value, according to the latest report from industry analyst Barbour ABI.

The figures also give cause for more optimism in the immediate future, with 19.2% more house projects reaching an advanced stage of planning in the year.

Housebuilding was the only sector showing significant growth against a background of a 5% downturn in construction overall, The Economic Construction and Market Review reveals, with industrial, medical/health, education and commercial/retail all declining.

Read More Here...

New table charts business energy complaints

A league table helping small businesses compare how well energy suppliers are handling their complaints has been launched by Citizens Advice.

The new ranking, which will be published quarterly, measures how effectively suppliers are dealing with complaints from small business customers across Great Britain.   It follows the charity’s established quarterly complaints league table for household energy customers - first launched in 2012.

In the first new table – for Q3, 2016 – E.ON takes the top spot for its handling of business customers complaints, with a complaints ratio of 21.1 per 10,000 customers. SSE comes second with 29.0 per 10,000. Extra Energy delivers the worst complaints handling performance - receiving a ratio of 1225.4 per 10,000.

Read More Here...