The home improvement boom we’ve all been enjoying since the first lockdown in 2020 may have started to fade, but Freefoam’s ongoing support ensures its customers can continue to grow, says Colin St John, commercial director at Freefoam.

The pandemic created an unprecedented formula for expansion in the Repair Maintenance & Improvement (RMI) market, where greater disposable income was spent on improving the homes we were confined to live and work in.

As a result, demand for home improvements surged in the past two years, bringing with it a wealth of opportunities for installers and stockists to grow.

However, in the last six months, there’s been a slowdown in RMI spend. As well as having to compete against travel, holidays and entertainment for a share of people’s disposable income, the pie has got smaller thanks to rocketing inflation and soaring living costs.

Then there’s the ongoing war in Ukraine which continues to push energy bills up, squeezing household budgets even further.

But it’s not all doom and despair. There are opportunities for growth, even in difficult market conditions. Throughout 2022, and beyond, Freefoam continues to support all its customers with our ‘can do’ approach.

We don’t compete with our customers. We instead work closely with our network of installers and stockist partners to support them to win business and grow.

Quality products

That starts with great products. Our range of PVC-UE and PVC-U products from fascia and soffits to gutter systems and cladding is high-quality, long lasting, and easy to install.

Freefoam’s colour choice in both roofline and cladding is a huge advantage. There has been a significant uplift in demand for cladding in particular over the past couple of years. By adding them to their portfolios, stockists and installers are giving homeowners the opportunity to explore something different.

Added to the mix is Freefoam’s industry-leading extended guarantees on roofline and cladding products. This includes our 50-year guarantee on white roofline products when fitted by a Freefoam registered installer. Not only is this a great selling point for installers, it also offers homeowners extra peace of mind.

Chris Davies, of Swansea-based installer CJ Davies & Sons, said: “We prefer to fit Freefoam cladding. It’s very durable, has a great range of colours and the guarantee that comes with it is a real benefit too.”

Strong support

During the pandemic, supply chains were severely disrupted which was frustrating for stockists, installers and their customers. Freefoam sees distribution as a key part of our operation.

We take pride in the knowledge that throughout this most difficult period we worked tirelessly to ensure that our customers’ needs were met by hook or crook.

Our technical expertise is second to none. We provide fast and accurate technical advice for our customers through our network of area sales managers who have in-depth knowledge of our products and are happy to get directly involved to support our customers. We also have technical advisors who can give specific fitting advice and detailed product information.

“Freefoam has been really supportive of our expansion and it’s been really important to have a partner we have grown with,” said Kris Jones, Huws Grays’ category manager for flat roofing, building products and external cladding. “We’ve got a great relationship with Freefoam, whether it be with the directors, or the sales reps or the guys in the office that look after us really well.”

If it’s important to our customers, then it’s important to us.

So, it’s important that our customers get the level of customer service they need and deserve.

Rachel Woodhouse, Freefoam’s customer service team leader, said: “We often go the extra mile for our customers, it’s in our DNA.”

We believe it’s at times like this, the industry needs to stick together, ‘partner-up’ – and work together to get the job done.

Afterall, if our customers grow, we grow.

By building strong and lasting relationships, backed with new and established product lines and great service, we can find ways to grow and flourish even in the most difficult of times.