Bad news,
good news

There may be a pretty mixed bag of news for Safestyle – and its shareholders – in its interim report, and we would always expect the writers of such to paint the rosiest picture possible, but the one line that might catch the eye of the rest of the industry is that it is putting its money into TV again after two years of restricted investment.

Safestyle has not fared well in the face of a changing industry as its traditional lead generation methods fell victim both to advancing legislation and the more savvy consumer. It also goes without saying that it has been a little distracted by the Safeglaze affair. But with that well behind it and its market share showing signs of recovery, perhaps it may return to be something of the feared rival it once was. Read more

There are also a few big numbers in the air at GM Fundraising where it has its eyes on a £2million target for its first 25 years of good works but expect to add to the total with a grand Silver Jubilee Ball. Read more

And also thinking ahead is AGC which is enlisting Artificial Intelligence to help drive the search for the glass of the future.
We hope there is something in this issue for everyone.
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Chris Church Editor

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

This Week's News

Safestyle plans TV
push but profit warning adds to shares fall

Safestyle shares dropped to 50p today after shedding over a third in value since a mid-January peak of 77p, with a mixed trading update last week adding to the decline.

Shareholders heard that a £3million investment in 2020 towards delivering the third phase of its recovery plan, including a ‘substantial uplift in media spend’ primarily through TV advertising, would have a negative impact on short-term profitability thought it says this could expect to deliver material benefits from 2021 onwards. Underlying FY19 pre-tax loss is expected to be up to £1.5million.

Among the good news in the report, Safestyle says it has now recovered a good proportion of the self-employed agents it had lost to now-defunct rival Safeglaze.

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Bi-folds go on growing amid ‘complex market’

The bi-fold market is set to put on 7% this year, probably slowing to 5% by the end of 2023 but within an increasingly complex market with ‘significant shifts in prices and sector reach’, according to new figures by AMA Research.

Those shifts extend from a growing pressure on price-point in trade supply and potential challenges from other product areas, to consumer confidence post-Brexit, and its impact on home improvement and new build sector, according to the report, ‘Bi-fold Doors Market Report – UK 2020 to 2023’.

AMA senior research analyst Jane Tarver said: “We saw market growth in bi-folds slow last year in comparison to very positive growth between 2014 and 2018, something subdued by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

“We perhaps now have more clarity about the UK’s direction of travel, and we expect this to lead to sustained growth through to 2023, albeit at a slightly lower rate.”

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GM plans birthday bash
to mark a quarter century of fundraising

GM Fundraising has announced plans for a Silver Jubilee Ball in May to mark 2020 as its 25th year of fundraising.

The organisation, which recently announced it is aiming to hit a total target of £2million in its anniversary year, is also launching a special logo to use the milestone to promote its activities throughout the year.

Founder Gary Morton, announcing the Ball, said he and other organisers had no idea when they launched the initiative what it would grow into.

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Construction
stabilising – Markit

The decline in UK construction is slowing, with new business volumes close to stabilisation – reportedly as a result of ‘receding political uncertainty – according to the IHS Markit / CIPS UK Construction PMI published today.

New business volumes were also close to stabilisation, which contrasted with the sharp falls seen in the final quarter of last year.

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Mackie is new
Qualicoat chair

Angus Mackie, managing director of Vertik-Al and group managing director of the Allumette Group, has been named as the new chairman of the QUALICOAT (UK & IRELAND), aluminium powder coating certification scheme.

Paying tribute to his predecessor Alan Maginnis of Sprint Coatings, who held the role for the last six years he said: “I look forward to building on these strong foundations to ensure that the Qualicoat quality label remains at the forefront of specification in the architectural aluminium market in UK and Ireland.”

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