Insight Data has published its 2014 Fabricator & Installer Market Report, billed as the ‘must-read’ barometer for the UK window, door and conservatory industry.
The report, which has been compiled annually since 2012, is the result of six months of research into changes, trends and threats to the industry for UK fabricators and installers.
While it was found that the number of PVC-U fabricators continues to decline, the report also identified that the rate of decline has slowed, with fabricators diversifying into manufacturing a wider range of products, often in other materials.
Fabricators and installers were found to be chasing higher value PVC-U options, from flush sash windows and colours, to vertical sliders, with continued growth in this area expected, particularly around vertical sliders.
According to the report, the top 30 dedicated PVC-U fabricators in the UK enjoyed nearly £1bn worth of sales in 2014 (£971.8m, up 6% from the previous year), and that’s not counting ‘main players’ like Epwin or Masco. Anglian still holds the top spot, with Safestyle overtaking Everest for second place. The report also shows that, in 2013, the entry level for the top 30 by turnover was £10.9m with a net worth of £1.7m, and that for 2014 those figures rose to £12.3 and £2.2m respectively.
Notably, the number of trade counters has also risen by 44 to 816 in total in the last year.
The report concludes with a prediction that, as window companies evolve into home improvement specialists and builders capitalise on trade counters, the line between installer and builder will ‘dissolve’, creating 34,000 home improvement companies as a result.
Insight Data’s commercial director, Helen Costeloe-Hughes, commented: “The industry is going through another transition. Trade Counters are disrupting the natural supply chain, opening up the market to 22,000 builders who are actively challenging existing installers. Elsewhere there have been a number of surprises, especially with aluminium, conservatories and composite doors…The report makes fascinating reading.”
The Insight 2014 Fabricator & Installer Market Report uses data collated during extensive telephone research and interviews carried out with almost 15,000 companies on the Insight database. Elements of the report are supplemented by financial information taken from publicly available sets of company accounts, provided by a credit reference agency.
To download your copy of the full report, for free, please click here
