Conservatory Outlet Group has been recognised by the London Stock Exchange in its annual publication of 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.
The report, which is in its seventh iteration, identifies the fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises from across the country. This includes companies that have not only grown their own revenue, but have also consistently outperformed industry peers. Unlike other reports, 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain is compiled based on factual information as opposed to nominations.
Conservatory Outlet Group’s inclusion within the publication has been largely attributed to its rapid business growth over the past 12 months. Comprising of three companies – Conservatory Outlet, Clearview Home Improvements & Pennine Home Improvements – The Conservatory Outlet Group registered annual sales of over £44m in 2019. The successes have continued into 2020 and, despite the sizable disruption caused by COVID-19, Conservatory Outlet posted a year-on-year sales increase of 20% for June, July and August.
According to Conservatory Outlet, this success has been reflected in the performance of its network of independent retail customers, many of whom have broken their own monthly sales records in the period immediately following the easing of the nationwide lockdown.
Conservatory Outlet introduced a number of key initiatives during lockdown that ensured continued business growth. This included the launch of an online sales forum in early April which allowed its customers to come together to discuss the latest techniques and tools to further perfect their approach to the pandemic.
The success of the sales forum was followed by a ‘lockdown sales competition’, introduced by Conservatory Outlet’s senior management team, which saw salespeople from across its network of customers compete against each other using video conferencing software to generate the most ‘virtual’ sales orders over a four-week period. The competition generated over £4m in sales throughout its duration.
In spite of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, Conservatory Outlet says it has continued to innovate throughout the year, and in early-August launched a new aluminium range of windows and doors to add to its extensive product portfolio – the Eclipse Collection. Satisfying a growing demand for increasingly modern home improvement products, the entire Eclipse range is said to be categorised by super-slim, high performance frames of just 34mm. Conservatory Outlet claims the collection has been met with ‘adulation’ from its customers, as they position themselves for increased top-end market penetration.
Backed by the consistent sales growth, the company recently revealed a hfty £500,000 staged investment in its 60,000ft2 manufacturing base. The three-stage plan, which began in September, will take six months to complete and features a sizable investment in equipment, key infrastructural changes and a 10,000ft2 factory expansion.
Greg Kane, CEO at Conservatory Outlet Group, said: “It’s an honour and privilege to be officially recognised alongside some of the most impressive companies in the country. Our team has worked incredibly hard over the past 12 months to ensure we offer our customers unrivalled levels of service, backed by a product portfolio that we’re confident is amongst the most diverse on today’s market. Our retail businesses are performing at an exceptional level, breaking sales records on an almost weekly basis, and are meeting the demands of a hugely buoyant marketplace.
We’re proud to be flying the flag for the home improvement sector on such a prestigious list and, with our phased investment over the next six months, look forward to an equally successful end to 2020 and beyond.”
