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CONSERVATOR IES & ORANGERIES
Satisfying the thirst for
product innovation
Consumers are demanding new and more interesting products, and our industry needs to
satisfy that demand, explains Chris Cooke of Prex Systems.
www.ggpmag.com January 2019
The glazing and home
improvement sectors have
changed immeasurably
in recent years thanks to
new products and a thirst from
consumers for better specified
products. Historically, the glazing
industry has been fuelled by distress
purchases where existing windows
and doors have failed and for a
cost-effective conservatory to add
additional living space. PVC-U has
been the dominant material.
But today, consumers are inspired
by aluminium which is now a
mainstream product and also by
the benefits of a solid and tiled
roof, such as our market leading
Warmroof, which is suitable for
replacement projects and even
single storey extensions. These
new rooms often form part of
the kitchen environment, a place
where consumers are spending an
increasing amount of time as our
habits change.
While consumer habits have
changed so too has our product
portfolio, which has helped shape
us into a one-stop shop for installers
across the UK, served by four
dedicated branches with expert
advice, guidance and technical
support on hand. Not only do we
offer glazed roofs as the UK’s largest
independent manufacturer, but also
Warmroof – including the latest
hybrid incarnation – and even a
stylish Verandah for the outdoor
living sector.
We’re also expecting that colour
will be one of the biggest trends for
us in 2019 and so we’ll be looking
to fully utilise our colouring facility
from our head office in Blackburn
further. With coloured/woodgrained
PVC-U currently accounting for
nearly 40% of the market, we are
now able to offer coloured and
lantern roofs to any RAL colour and
within a short lead time.
We can also offer specific paint
options for different sheens: 20%
semi-matt; 50% semi-gloss and 60%
satin, plus textured and metallic
finishes, the latter particularly
impressive as a match to the latest
aluminium finishes in doors and
windows. The result is that we can
supply a PVC-U lantern or glazed
roof to match aluminium frames
as a complete kit, something that
at present is unique from Prefix
Systems.
For 2019, our impressive
Warmroof Hybrid option will
benefit from a plasterboard finish as
standard with the option to upgrade
to an OPUS hardwood under
cladding. To the outside, we’ve now
also introduced the Tapco slate tile
and so we now have a number of
options, so that the tiled finish to
the new extension can match that of
the main fabric of the house in the
vast majority of cases.
According to Horticulture Week,
sales in the garden leisure market
have grown 15% in recent years
and are set to top £1 billion by
2020 according to the latest market
research from 2018. This bodes
well for the sales of our outdoor
living solution, Verandah. It’s also
a strategically important product
for our customers in that they are
able to move into a new market
sector and something that’s also
fundamentally central to us as we
look to develop a more expansive
product portfolio.
With installers now actively
marketing glazing brands, it has
been important for us to develop our
own identity without any reliance on
our suppliers for generic marketing
materials, which have little stand
out. There’s a complete range of
brochures, flyers, banner stand and
POS materials across all product
categories now.
Satisfying the thirst for product
innovation is carefully orchestrated
so that we have the full marketing
support to help promote it from
our point of view and that of our
customers. As a major player with
a 22-year history in the market, we
also have the resources and knowhow
to both inspire our customers,
but also to listen to them and that’s
always been the Prefix way.
“Historically, the glazing industry has been
fuelled by distress purchases where existing
windows and doors have failed”
Chris Cooke
/www.ggpmag.com
