The latest Business Pilot Barometer shows a significant upturn in leads and sales in January, compared to December 2024, a positive start to the year for the residential sector and – according to Business Pilot’s senior analyst, Neil Cooper–Smith – one that has the potential for a further boost if talk of a mortgage ‘price war’ proves to be correct.
It’s hard to say to what extent this may impact sales of replacement windows and doors, but anything that can boost homeowner confidence should be viewed in a positive light.
That’s important, because with National Insurance and Minimum Wage increases just around the corner, fenestration businesses will need all the positive news they can get.
Much has already been said of the impact of NI and Minimum Wages to UK firms, but I suspect that we will see a number of companies, already pushed to the limit, struggling to deal with the reality of tax increases from April this year.
In an open letter to the industry, Cornwall Group’s chairman, Mark Mitchell, highlights the fact that employers have had just six months’ notice from the Autumn budget to factor in the additional cost of around £2,000 per employee.
For Cornwall Group, which has more than 360 individuals on the books, that equates to roughly £750,000 additional overhead a year. For an organisation that has already committed to a £3m investment for 2025 that poses a significant challenge.
For forward thinking, well managed businesses such as Cornwall Group, it will be a case of rising to the challenge – as Mark says, the private sector is ‘tenacious’ – but for those that are just hanging on, or are burdened by private equity, or for older, ‘owner managers’ who may not have the energy or incentive to do so, it could just be a challenge too far…
The glue that holds the industry together
I visited Jade Engineering’s new, multi-million pound premises last week and was hugely impressed not just by the quality of the facilities but also the extent to which Jade is embedded in the industry.
Jade’s bespoke machines can be found in factory floors up and down the UK and, without them, production would in many cases just grind to a halt.
With new MD, Gareth Davies, in place, Jade’s directors Sean Mackay and Adam Jones are now freed up to concentrate on doing what they do best, bringing their huge expertise to a broad range of companies that will benefit from their tailored engineering solutions.
In addition to the trip to Jade I also paid a visit to the revamped Winkhaus UK headquarters in Kettering, and again was taken aback at how the company is deeply integrated into the industry and how it works so closely with partners from design stage all the way to testing.
With a big presence at this year’s FIT Show, expect to see lots of exciting developments from Winkhaus in the coming months.
And for more in depth reports on Jade and Winkhaus, take a look in the March issue of Glass Times.
A taxing time for the industry
The latest Business Pilot Barometer shows a significant upturn in leads and sales in January, compared to December 2024, a positive start to the year for the residential sector and – according to Business Pilot’s senior analyst, Neil Cooper–Smith – one that has the potential for a further boost if talk of a mortgage ‘price war’ proves to be correct.
It’s hard to say to what extent this may impact sales of replacement windows and doors, but anything that can boost homeowner confidence should be viewed in a positive light.
That’s important, because with National Insurance and Minimum Wage increases just around the corner, fenestration businesses will need all the positive news they can get.
Much has already been said of the impact of NI and Minimum Wages to UK firms, but I suspect that we will see a number of companies, already pushed to the limit, struggling to deal with the reality of tax increases from April this year.
In an open letter to the industry, Cornwall Group’s chairman, Mark Mitchell, highlights the fact that employers have had just six months’ notice from the Autumn budget to factor in the additional cost of around £2,000 per employee.
For Cornwall Group, which has more than 360 individuals on the books, that equates to roughly £750,000 additional overhead a year. For an organisation that has already committed to a £3m investment for 2025 that poses a significant challenge.
For forward thinking, well managed businesses such as Cornwall Group, it will be a case of rising to the challenge – as Mark says, the private sector is ‘tenacious’ – but for those that are just hanging on, or are burdened by private equity, or for older, ‘owner managers’ who may not have the energy or incentive to do so, it could just be a challenge too far…
The glue that holds the industry together
I visited Jade Engineering’s new, multi-million pound premises last week and was hugely impressed not just by the quality of the facilities but also the extent to which Jade is embedded in the industry.
Jade’s bespoke machines can be found in factory floors up and down the UK and, without them, production would in many cases just grind to a halt.
With new MD, Gareth Davies, in place, Jade’s directors Sean Mackay and Adam Jones are now freed up to concentrate on doing what they do best, bringing their huge expertise to a broad range of companies that will benefit from their tailored engineering solutions.
In addition to the trip to Jade I also paid a visit to the revamped Winkhaus UK headquarters in Kettering, and again was taken aback at how the company is deeply integrated into the industry and how it works so closely with partners from design stage all the way to testing.
With a big presence at this year’s FIT Show, expect to see lots of exciting developments from Winkhaus in the coming months.
And for more in depth reports on Jade and Winkhaus, take a look in the March issue of Glass Times.
Glass Times
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