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A new enhanced feedback system to help homeowners make a more informed choice when looking to employ a reputable tradesperson has been developed by TrustMark. It has been designed to enable TrustMark-registered firms to secure more business by building up a portfolio of positive feedback from their customers. The new feedback system was strengthened by collaborating with Referenceline.com, the independent review service approved by Trading...
Thermoseal was named Export Champion of the Year at the Amazon Growing Business Awards. Speaking after picking up the award, Gwain Paterson, Thermoseal’s managing director, said: “Our products are exported around the world from our [sites] in Birmingham [and Wigan] and it’s fantastic that our efforts have been recognised through these prestigious awards for SMEs and entrepreneurs. I’d like to...
For the first time, mobile web usage has overtaken web usage on traditional computers and laptops, a new study has found. The shift highlights the changing tides in computing, and the rapid movement towards mobile and tablet devices as the most popular way to consume information. The study by Statcounter found that in October 2016, 51.3% of web pages were...
PatioMaster’s franchised dealers met for the company’s Annual Dealer Conference recently to discuss and agree products, strategy and goals for 2017: and the conclusion was that it’s set to be a bumper year. Reflecting on 2016, dealers agreed that they continued to make impressive progress with PatioMaster with sales continuing the upward progress of previous years. Of particular note was...
There are four types of personality that trade partners most often adopt when dealing with customers, according to a new whitepaper that aims to give the window and door industry an insight into the psychology of the showroom. The negotiator, the free spirit, the perfectionist and the diplomat have been identified in The DNA of the Showroom, published by Origin,...
An increase in the number of offices and shops being converted into flats has led to a surge in England’s housing stock, it has been reported. Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), reveal there were 189,650 dwellings added to the housing stock in England between April 2015 and March 2016, up 11% on the year before....
Joinery sales have risen for the tenth successive quarter but increasing labour and material costs are taking their toll, according to the latest Joinery State of Trade Survey released by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF). The survey conducted among BWF members revealed healthy sales performances in the third quarter of the year, despite Brexit concerns. Manufacturers were also confident that...
The Synseal Group has acquired the domestic IGU manufacturing assets of Euroview Manufacturing – trading as Village Glass – which employs 140 staff in Witham, Essex. “This is an important southern region addition to our existing three Global Glass IGU manufacturing sites which are situated across the midland and northern regions, and enables us to supply glass sealed units to...
With 50% of small businesses with over five employees planning to grow their headcount over the next two years, finding skilled staff tops the list of challenges business owners face, up from third place in 2015 according to a new report by Albion Ventures, one of the largest independent venture capital investors in the UK. The skills shortage is most...
Prefix Systems Holdings has acquired Sussex-based conservatory roof and aluminium systems fabricator Pavilion Systems, in a move that will increase the manufacturing capabilities to five sites across the group. This investment by Prefix provides what it calls an important geographical location to further develop the south east, with daily deliveries and a more localised level of technical expertise and support....
Polyframe Group has sold its trade centres division (PTC) to Stevenswood, and has acquired the 55,000ft2 manufacturing site in Livingston from Stevenswood. Polyframe has grown to be one of the largest manufacturing companies of PVCU and aluminium windows, and composite doors within the UK, with six major manufacturing facilities across the country. Following Polyframe’s management-led buyout in June and subsequent...
Building design professionals are already feeling the impact of the Brexit vote, with almost two thirds (60%) of architects and building specifiers experiencing delays to projects as a result, according to a new report released in December 2016. The survey of 100 senior architects and building specifiers from across the UK, commissioned by glass manufacturer Pilkington UK, revealed the industry...
New findings from Palmer Market Research reveal that the conservatory market contracted in 2015 by 6% – hitting an all-time low of just 78,800 units. With all but 600 units supplied into the home improvement sector, the number of first-time installations also dropped by 9% to 57,000 units. The new report, however, also shows that the home improvement second-time replacement...
Nearly 90% of local authorities believe that the government’s housing targets will be impossible to meet due to a lack of planning resources, according to a new joint research report from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU). The report, which is the first of its kind to draw upon the experience of both...
“Joiners and fabricators tell us that they are looking for alternative window and door systems that are popular with homeowners, and the aluminium timber composite market is certainly growing,” Callum Grant, commercial director at AluWood Windows, said. “The AluWood system blends the beautiful natural look of timber on the inside with the strength, low maintenance and modern look of aluminium...