There was an impressive display of force from the glass and glazing industry at the first People In Glazing Society (PiGs) event of 2026 in Birmingham last week, with hundreds packed into the All Bar One in Brindleyplace.
With such a close-knit community, glazing industry networking events are usually pretty well attended and positive – especially when there’s a free bar involved – and this was no exception.
I had numerous conversations with people representing businesses from a variety of sectors, providing valuable insight into market conditions and outlooks for the year ahead.
Less than a week since returning from Birmingham, however, the world is in a different place, with war in the middle east demonstrating once again the turbulence that can be generated from major geopolitical events.
At a time when we need some positivity to spark consumer confidence, news of energy prices going through the roof is almost certain to have the opposite effect, especially if a spike in inflation pauses the interest rate reductions that had been expected later this month.
Even before the bombs started falling, the GfK’s latest index of household sentiment had dropped by three points to its lowest point since the November budget thanks to concerns about personal finances and the state of the UK economy.
And for businesses, which are already working overtime to manage increased operational costs, the impact of further long term rises in energy prices is going to be just as unwelcome.
This latest war has of cause drawn attention away from the Spring budget, but there was nothing too much to get excited about in Rachel Reeves latest forecast, other than it is at odds with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) which has painted a much more pessimistic picture for the rest of the year.
So is there any good news? Well, in this week’s newsletter, we have the latest from Tommy Trinder, which has reported a record number of installer quotes via the software platform in January, and from Business Pilot, which suggests that February has seen signs of strengthening momentum, particularly in sales performance and order values.
In addition, timber specialist Glyngary has reported a 95% revenue increase, Entrance Composite Door Solutions has invested in a warehouse expansion, and DoorCo has reported ‘no leaks’ from customers using its Flip glazing cassette despite the endless rain so far in 2026.
If you have any thoughts on any of the topics in this week’s newsletter, and would like to communicate them to the Glass Times readership, then please feel free to email me at [email protected]
PiGs a hit but can industry weather latest storm?
There was an impressive display of force from the glass and glazing industry at the first People In Glazing Society (PiGs) event of 2026 in Birmingham last week, with hundreds packed into the All Bar One in Brindleyplace.
With such a close-knit community, glazing industry networking events are usually pretty well attended and positive – especially when there’s a free bar involved – and this was no exception.
I had numerous conversations with people representing businesses from a variety of sectors, providing valuable insight into market conditions and outlooks for the year ahead.
Less than a week since returning from Birmingham, however, the world is in a different place, with war in the middle east demonstrating once again the turbulence that can be generated from major geopolitical events.
At a time when we need some positivity to spark consumer confidence, news of energy prices going through the roof is almost certain to have the opposite effect, especially if a spike in inflation pauses the interest rate reductions that had been expected later this month.
Even before the bombs started falling, the GfK’s latest index of household sentiment had dropped by three points to its lowest point since the November budget thanks to concerns about personal finances and the state of the UK economy.
And for businesses, which are already working overtime to manage increased operational costs, the impact of further long term rises in energy prices is going to be just as unwelcome.
This latest war has of cause drawn attention away from the Spring budget, but there was nothing too much to get excited about in Rachel Reeves latest forecast, other than it is at odds with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) which has painted a much more pessimistic picture for the rest of the year.
So is there any good news? Well, in this week’s newsletter, we have the latest from Tommy Trinder, which has reported a record number of installer quotes via the software platform in January, and from Business Pilot, which suggests that February has seen signs of strengthening momentum, particularly in sales performance and order values.
In addition, timber specialist Glyngary has reported a 95% revenue increase, Entrance Composite Door Solutions has invested in a warehouse expansion, and DoorCo has reported ‘no leaks’ from customers using its Flip glazing cassette despite the endless rain so far in 2026.
If you have any thoughts on any of the topics in this week’s newsletter, and would like to communicate them to the Glass Times readership, then please feel free to email me at [email protected]
Luke Wood
Related Articles
Is there a silver lining for the glass industry?
Will your new window fitter be a media graduate?
Revitalised AluFold Windows targets growth