32 | Sector Focus: Joinery
GOWERCROFT GROWS 50% By taking on an extra 10,000ft2 of space alongside its
manufacturing unit, Gowercroft Joinery was able to work through the pandemic without significant furlough or shutdowns. It saw no significant fall in the market and has actually grown turnover almost 50% over the last year, with demand consistently strong from construction. It sees growth being driven by increasing market preference for higher quality, natural materials and more sustainable products. It is now in the final stages of planning machinery investment to maximise its extended factory. It has also launched its Frontier range of windows and doors, which meet PassivHaus standards, taken on a new technical manager and is predicting “top line growth” of 50% in the next year. ■
◄ West Port went into partial shutdown.
“We closed for three weeks, but as that included the Easter shutdown, manufacturing wasn’t affected too badly,” said sales director Ian Newey. “Our sales and marketing team also worked remotely throughout, which paid off.”
Besides the bottom line, companies recognised the importance of worker welfare. “Every week I called and emailed all employees to ensure they were OK and bring them up to speed on our situation,” said Mr Adam. “That definitely contributed to levels of enthusiasm and commitment when people returned.”
Most companies report gearing up operations from late spring into June. “We saw recovery build momentum from
May,” said Mr Newey. “Production has since increased dramatically and we’re now experiencing record sales.”
“With most merchants closed during April, first signs of growth came from internet trading partners, with consumer orders for direct delivery ramping up quickly,” said JB Kind managing director James Cadman.
“By early June pent up demand was clearly coming through, driven by housing construction and home improvement.” “We did have to furlough some staff, although we were able to adapt and re- position to meet demand as required,” said Vicaima marketing director Paul King. “Then first signs of recovery began late spring – since then demand has been well above forecast.”
Haldane started with a skeleton crew, then increased that as work grew, with everyone back by July. “We worked closely with construction customers as they increased activity and then came a massive surge in domestic enquiries,” said Mr Adam. “To cater to consumers, we’ve upgraded our 3D rendering software to show finished products in situ, while stressing what they’re getting doesn’t include the chandelier!” Lockdown and furlough are actually seen as joinery demand drivers prompting consumers confined to home to refurbish or remodel properties as live-work spaces. Unable to take holidays, they’ve also had more cash.
“Customers frequently say the holiday’s paying for the project,” said Mr Adam. “[Pandemic] consumer savings are forecast to reach £200bn mid-2021, which will undoubtedly increase spending on home improvement,” said Mr Cadman. “The market has also been boosted by stamp duty suspension on properties up to £500,000, with direct correlation between house movement and refurbishment.” Mr Wakeman believes the shift to more remote working is becoming entrenched, reporting 60-70% of PTP’s business now in refurbishment. He also said the group’s performance through the pandemic has further underlined the strength of its
TimberWindows.com business model. This undertakes digital marketing centrally, with orders fielded via its network of independent showrooms and installation specialists who feed specifications back to group manufacturing. “We’ve continued to open new Timber Windows outlets, with 44 now and plans for more over coming years,” said Mr Wakeman. Business, he maintained, has also been driven by consumers’ growing affinity for timber as a natural, low carbon material. “Environmental concerns are increasingly shaping the market,” he said. “And the merger of the TTF and TRADA, giving the timber sector a more united voice, will enable us to build on this.” (See feature pp60-61). Mr Cadman said home improvement media have further pushed the trend to environmentally sound materials. “Ethical, sustainable sourcing is very important to us and we expect accountability for this and demand to increase,” he said. Vicaima also reports investing at its
Above: Vicaima’s Naturdor Heritage oak door TTJ | May/June 2021 |
www.ttjonline.com
Portuguese factory in developing products for an increasingly “green-conscious world”, including a new improved energy performance interior door range. Meanwhile Haldane is seeing sales rise to small to medium-sized timber frame/timber
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