Coventry Arena hosts Glazing Summit

The Glazing Summit was held last week at the Coventry Arena, a new venue for the event following many years at Edgbaston.

A staple of previous Summits has been the Insight Data State of the Industry report, presented by Andrew Scott, and for this year the latest data revealed that the overall number of fabricators and installers has dipped slightly from 2020 to 2025 – from 13,893 to 13,479.

Within that, PVC fabricators have fallen from 1,207 to 1,132 over the same time period, while aluminium continues its steady climb from 869 to 901. Installers have seen a sharper decline, down from 12,314 to 11,650.

Andrew Scott also presented an installer survey from Insight Data, that revealed around 44% have reported leads have stayed the same, while 36% said they’ve decreased. Conversion rates remain broadly stable for most (64%), but 34% said customers are slower to commit. Order values are holding up – with a third seeing increases – though margins are under more pressure, with 31% saying they’re down. Overall, nearly 60% of respondents said business is now more difficult than a year ago.

Beyond these numbers, additional insights from the Summit pointed towards some priorities for the coming year, including product diversification such as renewables for installers, while Elton Boocock’s presentation on AI demonstrated how the technology will soon become integral to selling windows and doors – if it hasn’t already.

And feedback from a panel on consumer trends also suggested that while the volume of homeowners planning home improvements is expected to remain similar next year, their budgets appear to be higher. That could be thanks to younger homeowners, in particular, who are driving this trend as they are willing to spend more on quality, performance, and design.

One other notable takeaway was that sustainability, while often discussed, still lags behind other purchase drivers, with consumers continuing to prioritise aesthetics, energy efficiency, and security over green credentials.

That said, sustainability remains “firmly on the agenda” for the commercial sector, as highlighted in a recent Deceuninck UK roundtable – even if, for now, cost and lead times still dominate decision-making.

You can read more on that discussion, by clicking here