New ‘comprehensive’ market report

Fensa has published a new market report, which will pave the way for a new on-demand service from the GGF Group.

The GGF, Fensa and BFRC, have combined resources and data to produce the GGF Group Market Knowledge Report for the UK glass and glazing industry.

Anda Gregory, chief development officer for GGF Group, said: “The information that we are making available using Fensa and BFRC data is the most comprehensive and detailed available for the English and Welsh home improvement sectors.

“Combined with insights and analysis provided by the most experienced and knowledgeable minds in the industry, it provides invaluable insight to our industry.”

Fensa is the largest competent persons scheme in the UK with more than 6,300 approved installers. It notifies over 77% of installations registered in England and Wales, and has recently established a presence in Scotland. As such, the data presented in this report is said to provide a thorough and accurate representation of the industry’s most recent performance, with data provided from installations completed during the past three and a half years from January 2018 to June 2021.

The BFRC data provides a breakdown of live licences for windows and doors, along with analysis of products by energy rating. When combined with Fensa data, this provides an indication of product trends across the country.

The GGF provides a broader backdrop of the sector, with combined input from manufacturing, fabrication, installation, and political and social issues impacting on the industry.

This initial report was designed following discussions with industry partners, which established the key criteria for the project. The industry consultation shaped what will be covered in future reports as well as the expansion of the Fensa Knowledge Hub to become a subscription service. This will provide the analysis of key industry data covering other aspects of the supply chain.

The report contains analysis on the wider economic backdrop, offering a narrative on key political, economic and social influences that have affected the market during the past two years, and another section considers the impact of installations that are carried out outside of any competent persons schemes – known as the ‘grey market’.

The report also provides statistics on the replacement of domestic windows and doors from January 2018 to June 2021, drawn from installations logged by more than 6,300 installers. Fensa said this is the first time such information has been made publicly available.

There is also: geographical data; an insight into the top ten performing local authorities; a breakdown of average cost per job and cost per unit; and Risa assessment ratings.

The report is the precursor to the Fensa Knowledge Hub, a service that will be launched early in 2022 and will give access to this and other data in the future.

The service will be supplemented by bi-annual Key Knowledge Reports, which will provide analysis and commentary on the state of the industry as a whole. All data provided is blind, with all sources remaining anonymous.

“The home improvement sector of the UK window and door market has not seen the publication of any meaningful industry insights since 2017 and, consequently, companies at all levels within the window and door industry are basing key strategic planning initiatives using old data and forecasts, and educated guesses,” John Agnew, managing director of the GGF Group, said.

“The GGF Market Knowledge Report, and the Fensa Knowledge Hub that will be launched in 2022, not only redress this information vacuum, they provide factual data that has simply never been previously available.”