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VBH has been nominated for Best Hardware Company in the National Fenestration Awards (NFAs). Established in the UK for over 35 years, VBH is a leading distributor of window and door hardware products. It supplies well known hardware brands such as Yale, Maco and Roto as well as its own branded suite, greenteQ.

With a newly updated online ordering portal, VBH offers a full solution to fabricators, installers and locksmiths searching for high quality window and door hardware. In addition, fabricator and installer customers also benefit from VBH’s new Q-secure guarantee, helping them to sell to homeowners. Once the installation is registered with VBH, homeowners are issued with a guarantee certificate and information pack. If their home is broken into as a result of hardware failure during the 10-year guarantee, VBH will pay towards replacing the window or door and make additional payments to the homeowner.

VBH Marketing Manager Gary Gleeson, comments: “We offer industry-leading window and door hardware brands and continue to grow our own greenteQ brand which includes the unique Invisifold slide and fold system, Securifold ‘foldaway’ handles and our stainless-steel Coastline range with a 25-year guarantee. We’re delighted to be nominated as an NFA finalist in a year of continuing growth and success. We look forward to sharing more about our latest innovations and product ranges in 2018.”

To vote for VBH go to: www.fenestrationawards.co.uk/hardware-company-2017.  For more information, visit www.vbhgb.com.

Epwin Window Systems has just announced that Natalie Tellis-James has joined their team in a Customer Marketing Support role. Natalie, whose background is in marketing, project management and customer service, said: “I am delighted to be joining Epwin Window Systems. The company has an exceptional reputation for the quality of the support it gives to its customers and I’m thrilled to be part of such a proactive team.” Gerald Allen, Epwin Window Systems’ Marketing Manager, said: “Natalie has lots of valuable experience and we’re delighted to have her on board.” Natalie will be part of the marketing support team that works directly with Epwin Window Systems’ customer accounts, helping them take advantage of the bespoke marketing Epwin offers. The team is one of the largest in the industry and this is reflected in the reputation Epwin Window Systems has for its proactiveness when it comes to working with its customers and the level of marketing support it provides.

The post Natalie Tellis-James, Customer Marketing Support at Epwin Window Systems appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.

The Icotherm Roof Systems’ team donned fluffy, yellow onesies on Thursday 16 November, to become Team Pudsey and raise money for Children in Need. Overall, the team raised £491.00 with donations from customers, suppliers, friends and family.

Jenny Jackson, Director at Icotherm said: “As soon as I saw the Pudsey outfits in the supermarket, I knew that I needed to get the team involved in Children in Need, so we ordered 18 suits! All of the team, including our delivery drivers, office-based team and factory floor team wore their Pudsey outfits all day and brought a smile to customers and our neighbours!

“I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated money to our team fundraising page to support the fantastic cause that is Children in Need.”

Friday’s live Children in Need show saw a record on-the-night total of £50 million and donations can still be made online. Icotherm’s fundraising page is still open – if you would like to contribute, please visit www.justgiving.com/companyteams/icotherm.

The Swish Flush Casement Window offers quintessentially British style. It has the trademark aesthetics of the traditional nineteenth window, but, as Gerald Allen, Swish’s Marketing Manager, points out, it isn’t only period homes that benefit from its charming aesthetics.

“Thanks to its understated simplicity, the Flush Casement Window is a design that has stood the test of time. For that reason, it’s just as at home in a contemporary modern home as it is a heritage setting.”

As Gerald says, the Flush Casement Window offers impressive versatility. Projects in contemporary settings benefit from its simple, clean lines while projects in heritage locations benefit from features such as the elegant glazing bars. And wherever the window is used the project will benefit from the quality and attention to detail of a Swish window.

The common Swish platform means installers can use beads from other systems to enable 24,28 and 32mm glazing for greater flexibility.

Security is assured because the window meets Secured by Design standards.

The Impressions colour range includes timeless and traditional shades and woodgrain effects as well as accent colours and on-trend shades. Dual colour options are available. Ten of the most popular shades (covering 88% of colour sales) are stock colours and there is no minimum order quantity on its non-stock colours, making colour accessible and appealing.

The window may have classic looks but it has 21^st century thermal efficiency. It can easily achieve A+ ratings. And, where exceptional levels of insulation are required, triple glazed frames can deliver a U-value of just 1.2.

When an installer works with Swish, he also benefits from the credentials that come with a brand that’s recognised by 7 out of 10 consumers. Added to which there’s the advantage of exceptional support and Excellence as Standard, Swish’s new membership programme, which aims to drive and promote excellence at every level of member businesses.

So if you’re hungry to achieve, the Flush Casement Window is only the start of what Swish has to offer.

www.swishwindows.co.uk

Small businesses across the UK are spending a working week every year complying with their Value Added Tax (VAT) obligations, according to new research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The latest FSB survey shows that VAT-registered small business owners spend an average of 44 hours, the equivalent of six working days, managing VAT administration every year.

Correctly calculating the proportion of VAT owed is most frequently identified as the most time-consuming element of adherence, with four in ten firms flagging this as an issue (43%). Filling out VAT returns (17%) and researching guidance (10%) are also commonly highlighted as time-consuming elements of the process.

Mike Cherry, FSB National Chairman, said: “VAT is the most time-consuming tax to deal with. Small firms and the self-employed spend days and days every year complying with their VAT obligations – time that should be spent expanding their businesses.

“Once again small firms and the self-employed fear the Chancellor could single them out for a tax grab at the Budget, this time by forcing more of them into the VAT regime. Doing so would create a real drag on business output.

“At a time of spiralling costs and persistent uncertainty, a lowering of the VAT threshold is the last thing our entrepreneurs need.”

The new research finds that over a quarter of firms (27%) find VAT difficult to understand, compared to a fraction (5%) who describe it as very simple to grasp.

Common causes of this barrier to understanding are different exemptions (53%), establishing the rate at which payment is required (24%) and different thresholds (21%).

Mike Cherry added: “The VAT regime is awash with complexity and anomalies. When the burden of administration falls so heavily on business owners and the self-employed, it opens the door to lost hours and honest mistakes. Small firms are not like corporations – they don’t have accounting expertise on tap.

“We have an issue with some firms approaching £85,000 of turnover and putting the brakes on. The sensible route to solving that issue lies in embracing the Office of Tax Simplification’s recommendation for a smoothing mechanism that respects the current threshold, not forcing more small firms into the system.

“A sudden drop in the VAT threshold would punish the smallest businesses and shift, rather than solve, the bunching issue. The registration cliff-edge remains a concern for many firms, but making huge swathes of businesses and the self-employed join the hugely complex VAT regime is not the answer. The Chancellor should be prioritising simplification, rather than expansion, of VAT and the tax system at large.”

Morley Glass and Glazing has been shortlisted for IGU Manufacturer of the Year at the annual National Fenestration Awards.

The business is up against seven other companies in the category, which is sponsored by Edgetech (UK). Despite strong competition, Morley says that it feels confident thanks to its commitment to customer service, 10-day lead time for sealed units with integral blinds inside, and 30% year-on-year growth.

In the past 12 months, the business has launched an updated website, boosted its Screenline spares service and opened a new showroom at its headquarters in Leeds. A recent £700,000 investment has been made in a second IGU production line to allow for increased production capacity, which according to Morley can now manufacture 3,000 sealed units with integral blinds every week. Morley has also expanded into the home automation market with the launch of its unique ‘SmartMotion’ interface, all while continuing to offer a lead-time of 10 days from 11am any Friday.

Ian Short, managing director of Morley Glass & Glazing, said: “2017 has been a landmark year for Morley Glass which has seen us continue to build on the foundations we established last year when we made the move to our new 50,000ft2 factory. We’ve met every challenge we’ve set for ourselves so far and being named the National Fenestration Awards’ IGU Manufacturer of the Year would be a fantastic end to an exciting 12 months of activity.”

www.morleyglass.co.uk

The post Top of the glass appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

GLASSOLUTIONS has won the ‘Customer Care’ category of the G17 awards for its commitment to quality customer care with the further development of its innovative and user-friendly e-commerce app.

Arguably the only app of its kind in the UK supporting a national glass supply service, it has been successful in putting control in the hands of customers, allowing them to configure and order glass ‘on the go’, build a quote in their own time and choose the option of delivery to site, without the need to call into a GLASSOLUTIONS branch for any aspect of their order. The app has successfully helped customers work smarter, solve problems, and add real value to their own customers.

Head of Customer Services at GLASSOLUTIONS Darren Dickinson, says: “Ease of use and adaptability are everything in the digital age, and that’s what we aim to provide with the app: an app which allows businesses large and small to access our extensive glass range, configure exactly the product they need to add value to their business proposition. Feedback from customers in 2017 has resulted in changes and improvements to the app, which in turn has led to improved year-on-year performance. Online sales up to the end of July 2017 increased by 343% compared with the whole of 2016 online sales.

“The app gives GLASSOLUTIONS a new way to reach out to customers and truly understand what customers value. We’re incredibly pleased with progress in 2017 and believe our customer insight holds the key to continued success for us and our customers.”

GLASSOLUTIONS has previously won G-Awards, in 2016 it won Commercial Project of the Year, in 2014 it was awarded Environmental Initiative of the Year and was crowned Glass Company of the Year in 2012.

This year’s winners were announced at the prestigious G17 Awards Presentation and Gala Dinner which took place on 17^th November at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Find out more about GLASSOLUTIONS at www.glassolutions.co.uk.

According to Corgi Fenestration, many original MTC cards are expiring this autumn and through 2018 and need to be renewed.

Corgi adds that installers and surveyors should be wary over which card they use as some have switched from being personal cards to company cards, that need replacing each time you change job. Those working on a sub-contracting basis may need more than one company card.

In order to upgrade, if your existing MTC card was issued via a GQA accredited NVQ, then you automatically meet Corgi Fenestration requirements and can get a card straight away. If your NVQ is about to expire, it is possible to complete a competency upgrade in order to upgrade a card.

“A Corgi Fenestration branded skills card means you hold the best qualifications in the business,” commented Mick Clayton, GQA CEO. “They are based on National Occupational Standards regulated by Ofqual and delivered by GQA licenced assessors – the most experienced assessors in the industry.”

Corgi Fenestration says that its skills card has a host of other added features. It acts as an identity card; it can be scanned to reveal qualifications and any GQA accredited training held centrally on the Corgi Fenestration skills register and it can also be a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, where appropriate.

www.corgifenestration.co.uk

The post On the cards appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

With the impact of Brexit now starting to bite, understanding long-term industry drivers is now more important than ever, according to Palmer

The window and door industry is ‘not immune from the impact of Brexit and faces strong economic headwinds’ – that’s the warning from Robert Palmer. According to the head of the research specialist, the UK window industry faces dual challenges of a tougher second-time replacement market and wider economic uncertainty as the UK exits from Brussels. “The post-Brexit phoney war is coming to an end and the realities of what will result in the case of a hard Brexit are now beginning to dawn,” he says. This, he argues, is already exerting an impact on consumer confidence and with it economic growth. This slowed in the first quarter of 2017 to just 0.2% – the weakest in 12 months. “The Office for National Statistics attribute this slowing to the decline in growth to consumer-facing industries and a slowdown in household spending,” Palmer says.

Big ticket items

He adds that this has also been evidenced in figures from payments provider Visa, which reported the steepest fall in consumer spending for four years this summer. Visa also highlights a cut back in spending on big ticket items. “This is also noted by researchers GfK which recorded a major dip in the number of consumers considering now to be the right time to make big-ticket purchases,” says Palmer. He continues: “Consumer credit is not inexhaustible. According to the Bank of England consumer credit grew by 10.3% in the 12 months to May, higher than expected. Some economists say that consumers are confident enough to increase their borrowing. “But the financial regulatory bodies have signalled their concerns about difficulties some consumers will have in making repayments. With inflation rising and wages static the reality is that consumers’ disposable incomes will continue to fall.”

Trends in housing are another area, which Palmer suggests may curb growth in the window and door sector in the coming year. He says: “The housing market has slowed, partly as a result of increases in stamp duty and changes in tax on second homes and investment properties and partly because of the availability of property. “From strong double digit growth in 2013 and 2014, housing transactions barely moved in 2015 and 2016 and look set to actually decline in 2017 particularly in London, where issues surrounding affordability are most acute. “This isn’t necessarily all bad news – some rebalancing and cooling of house price inflation is perhaps inevitable and to be welcomed, especially if more new homes can be built to ease issues of supply. The negative for the window and door industry is that there is a direct link to house moves and investment in home improvements.” Palmer returns, however, to the argument that it is uncertainty surrounding Brexit which is the greatest threat to UK economic growth.

“The ill-fated General Election is seen by some as an opportunity to soften the Brexit terms or even, though much less likely, abandon the whole process altogether. That is debatable but what it did do is to increase uncertainty. For instance how long will May remain as PM with her hard Brexit agenda? Are the soft Brexiters now in the ascendancy? And for that expected, unexpected event, who is actually in charge?” he asks. With a new study due for publication at the end of the summer, Palmer refused to be drawn on a detailed analysis of the window and door. He suggested, however, that tougher second-time replacement sells and the shift away from home ownership, are driving long-term changes of their own. According to figures published by Palmer in its last report: The Window, Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain (Oct 2016), first time window and door replacements have dropped from 80% in 2000 to less than 30% in 2015, with ‘replacement of replacement’ installations now accounting for 70% of all installations.

Focus on aesthetics

He argued that this was driving increased focus on aesthetics: “Homeowners want something that is tangibly different and the appearance of windows is increasingly important in the market,” he said. “That in turn is driving innovation in the industry and the shift to premium finishes and foils in retail markets. While there will always be a place for standard budget white PVC-U, there has been definite shift in consumer expectation.” He added that this shift to higher end-offers was also driving growth for aluminium and significant growth in sales of aluminium bi-fold doors. He also forecasts ‘exponential growth’ in the solid roof conservatory market as a second key area of opportunity. “This is to a degree the point,” continues Palmer. “Things are in our view going to be tougher but that does not necessarily mean that all parts of the industry will struggle. If the economy slows, as we are expecting, then, as always, high end and innovative products are more likely to weather the storm, while cheaper commodity products will become more vulnerable.”

Tel: 020 83908131

E: info@palmermarketresearch.co.uk

The post Understanding long-term industry drivers appeared first on Windows Active Magazine.