41
NEW YEAR MESSAGES
Graham Price,
MD,
TuffX
Austin Barcley
MD,
Improveasy
Against reports of
difficult trading
conditions in
many sectors of
the glazing market during 2019,
TuffX grew sales by almost 25%
together with improved profitability.
The decision we took some years ago to focus
on high performance, large span conservatory roof glass followed
by a series of added value glass products including heat soak
tested balustrades and balconies, walk on glass floor range, roof
lights and specialised toughened laminated glass has removed us
from the mainstream and its highly destructive discounting.
We have therefore continued to invest heavily in new glass
furnaces, software, machinery and people, a programme that will
“As homeowners and commercial
speciers alike learn just what can be
done with high performance
glass our customer base has
continued to grow, even despite
adverse market conditions”
continue into and through 2020, allowing us to introduce further
products that add value and performance to flat glass.
As homeowners and commercial specifiers alike learn just
what can be done with high performance glass our customer base
has continued to grow, even despite adverse market conditions;
with the predicted stability that the election result promises, it
should be an extraordinary year.
I’m sure many businesses
across the industry didn’t
know what to expect in 2019,
especially retail companies. After
all, there’s little debate that consumer
confidence has struggled against a
backdrop of political and economic instability
and of course Brexit uncertainty.
However, in spite of those tough market conditions, our range
of flexible finance options have proven to be a transformative tool,
helping hundreds of installers accelerate their sales and answer the
changing buying habits of today’s consumer. In fact, we’ve helped
our network consistently write millions of pounds of finance every
month in 2019.
As a result, 2019 has been a record year for Improveasy with
tremendous growth of 138% across the business. We were
incredibly proud to be named one of the UK’s fastest growing
privately-owned businesses, ranking 23rd in the 2019 Sunday Times
Fast Track 100 report.
Whilst the recent election result has brought some much needed
clarity, it’s far from confirmation of an end to uncertainty. With
fresh challenges facing businesses throughout 2020, it’s absolutely
vital that every installer and home improvement company is
‘finance ready’.
“As a result, 2019 has been a record
year for Improveasy with tremendous
growth of 138% across the business.
We were incredibly proud to be
named one of the UK’s fastest
growing privately-owned businesses”
As we have been throughout the last decade, we’ll be there every
step of the way, providing a full range of flexible finance options
and expanded support to our nationwide network. Alongside
our popular 0% APR and ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ packages, we are
launching new finance solutions in 2020 including 9.9% APR, ‘Buy
Now, Pay 2021’ and subprime lending.
The aim is to provide installers with a suite of finance packages to
suit all products and customers, especially as homeowners continue
to stay put and adopt the ‘improve don’t move’ philosophy in such a
volatile housing market.
This is reflected in recent research which suggests that 36% of
homeowners are looking to improve their property before any other
big purchase.
So while consumer confidence may be some way off its pre-
Brexit levels, there’s still an appetite among homeowners for
home improvements. It goes to prove that there are still valuable
opportunities out there for installers, providing they offer the
flexible finance that today’s consumer demands.
www.ggpmag.com January 2020
/www.ggpmag.com
