Me-too?

When a company like Safestyle tells the stock market it has been dented by a new kid on the block, you can be fairly sure that the new kid is one to be reckoned with. Inevitably, the hard figures are not yet in the public domain but the general industry chatter is that Safeglaze is making quite a mark, especially around the Yorkshire-Lancashire heartland that both companies share, and with a TV campaign that only further underlines its unashamed assault on Safestyle’s customer profile.

It’s an interesting irony that Safestyle founder Mitu Misra, who became a movie writer and director since floating the company in 2013, has premiered his first offering just as the new company, with another Misra named among its officers, begins to roll out a drama of its own. Once again – and again with no apology for repetition – we will watch this one with interest.
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There’s more drama too in a new war of words about fabricators who offer unglazed Residence 9 frames, with claims that the absence of factory glass bonding could compromise the integrity, not to mention the warranty of such frames.
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And, of course, in the week before many will be packing their bags for Fensterbau, The GGF is inviting all to drop in on the UK Pavilion and learn why ‘Britain means business.’
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So, whether you are about to jet off to Germany, BOGOF with Safeglaze or you’re just a little teed-off with a few R9 fabs, we hope you enjoy this issue.

Chris Church Editor

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

This Week's News

The newcomer that’s got Safestyle worried

When Safestyle UK issued a Trading Update to the Stock Market a couple of weeks ago, it included the statement: “The activities of an aggressive new market entrant have added to an already competitive landscape and impacted the Group in certain areas of its operations.

Meanwhile, SafeGlaze UK, the trading name of Niamac Developments Ltd, says on its website as part of a Q&A: “Our competitors are scared and so they should be.”

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Dekko hits out at
unglazed R9 sales

Lancashire fabricator Dekko has sparked a major debate with a full-on attack on the sale of unglazed Residence9 frames, saying a frame that is not factory glazed and glass bonded ‘can cause major problems when installed in the home’.

The claim, in a letter to trade media from sales director Kurt Greatrex, goes on to say that R9 owner, the DW3 Group, “agrees that unglazed Residence 9 is simply not manufactured to current specification” and goes on to warn that any product warranties will fall purely on the installer, not the system manufacturer, adding: “Would any installer want to install a product without the backing of the systems house?”

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GGF says ‘Britain means business’ at Fensterbau

The GGF is all set for Fensterbau Frontale, starting next week in Nuremberg, where it is once again hosting the 200sqm UK Pavilion, this year under the theme “Britain Means Business.”

One of the features of the UK Pavilion is the British Reception which is sponsored by RegaLead, one of 12 co-exhibitors at the pavilion.

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Boost for house listings and equity release

Two main drivers for the retrofit sector gave reason for optimism this week with the news that estate agents house listings rose by 20% last month and the number of homeowners taking out equity release in 2018 has almost doubled on the same period last year – and the total sum involved has grown even more.

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Hope for end of late payment woes

The Chancellor’s announcement today (Mar 13) of a new consultation on late payment should be the beginning of the end for unfair payment practices which hit small businesses across the UK, according to the Federation of Master Builders.

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We Have Email

From: Kurt Greatrex,
Sales director, Dekko Window Systems

If you’re a window industry veteran like me, chances are you’ll remember the ‘pinking profile’ issue that arose during the late 80s and early 90s. As systems companies fought for better margins they ‘value engineered’ their formula, taking out essential components that resisted UV attack. The net result was profile discolouration and it severely damaged the reputation of the uPVC window and door industry, costing installers millions in the process.

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From:, Sarah Ball, Secretary, CAPSIG,
(Director for Balls2 Marketing and
organiser of PIGS)

Calling all women in construction and property marketing. The Construction and Property Special Interest Group of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations has created a survey to understand women's experiences and perspectives on working in PR and marketing in the sector.

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