A new hybrid

Until now, the industry has been split by a fairly clear demarcation between vertically integrated national retailers and single-tier operators, especially since many smaller fabricator-installers have shut their factories in favour of buying-in. Now however, the news from Conservatory Outlet – or more precisely, the second such piece of news – of its incursion into retail gives us a new kind of hybrid that defies that trend.
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Of course, the big risk for other fabricators, or even syscos, trying to make such a move would be the backlash from customers who wake up one day to find they are also competitors. CO is completely immune from that however, as its network of retail customers all have clearly defined territories so, as the company has stressed, there is no uncomfortable overlap.

The group also says, as it did with the last acquisition, that it is on the lookout for more opportunities for expansion, so we may expect to hear more.

Until then, we hope you enjoy this issue.

Chris Church Editor

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

This Week's News

Conservatory Outlet takes another chunk of retail

The Conservatory Outlet Group has taken another big step into vertical integration and consumer sales with a second major retailer acquisition in less than three months, not only giving it a much bigger foothold in the Northern England consumer market but also taking the Group’s combined revenue to over £40million.

However, the purchase of the £14million sales Clearview Home Improvements, with showrooms in Lancashire and Cheshire, came once again with the group’s declaration that it will remain “a B2B company with a strong understanding of the retail market” despite now having well over half its sales from Clearview and its earlier acquisition of Pennine Home Improvements

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Self-build booming
– report

The self-build/custom build industry is growing at 6.25% a year, giving a third consecutive year of growth, with the sector now forecast to gain 16,500 housing completions by 2020.

According to the Self & Custom Build Market Report, by information provider Homebuilding & Renovating: “this three-year forecast implies an industry growth of 41 per cent and an average industry value of £6 billion. This, says the report, reinforces the sector's strategic role as a contributor to the Government’s housebuilding targets.”

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New DHF best practice guide

The Door & Hardware Federation has published a new Best Practice Guide which was developed following detailed consultations with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). ‘Management of Maintenance, Modification and Repair of Industrial Doors, Domestic Garage Doors, Automated Gates & Traffic Barriers’ is available to download from the DHF website.

The new publication offers a step-by-step guide to managing the maintenance, repair and modification process.  The guide also includes an example of an ‘unsafe system warning notice’.

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Wood, windows
and wellness

Over 44% of householders perceive timber windows as the most environmentally friendly and ‘the most aesthetically pleasing’ while more than 52% believe they ‘provide the most character’, according the Wood Window Alliance, which this week published the first chapter of its 2017 trends report, ‘Windows on the World: The Rise of Natural Wellness’.

The organisation says the report: “introduces the notion that consumers are entering a post-plastic age and rejecting plastic and other synthetic materials in favour of timber and other natural materials, amongst other findings,” and includes “insights are supported by research from 1,000 UK homeowners and expert commentary from Oliver Heath, an architect specialising in biophilic design.”

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House prices creep back

UK house prices began to gain momentum last month, with a 1.1% month-on-month figure contributing to an annual growth of 3.1%, up from 2.1% in the year to May, according to the latest Nationwide House Price Index.

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We Have Email

From: David Oldfield,
Chairman, BWF Fire Door Scheme

The stories we hear about Grenfell Tower are concerning and the BWF team has been working tirelessly since the tragedy to provide the necessary support and advice to those involved and ensure that corrective action is timely and efficient. Fire doors are in every building that we live in, work in and sleep in, but they are often overlooked, ignored and allowed to slip into a sorry state.

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