April 2022

Updates
COLOUR CALLS WITH FREEFOAM'S NEW BROCHURE
Freefoam Building Products has announced the launch of an updated colour brochure, to
showcase the fascia, soffit and gutter range.
All the recent research in the Window and Door sector points towards an increase in colour. With
statistics like ‘Only 58% of PVC casements in 2021 were unfoiled’ , the trends are clear to see. With
the traditional woodgrain colours such as Rosewood, Golden Oak and Mahogany gradually reducing
in popularity, shades of grey are still the growing desire for homeowners, with Anthracite Grey still
leading the pack, closely followed by Dark Grey and the paler Agate Grey.
And fascia, soffit and gutters are no different. Freefoam has seen the same trends, with colour and
woodgrain orders in the last two to three years increasing by 5% as a proportion of total sales.
The new brochure explains Freefoam’s full colour range and options available to installers and
homeowners. www.freefoam.com
TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU SELL?
For further home improvement updates visit www.total-installer.co.uk
A SMART WAY TO MANAGE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
Emplas has launched a new customer complaints procedure, allowing customers to register issues and
trigger manufacture or supply of replacement product, through their smart phone.
The new system, accessed through its customer portal, EVA, fast tracks customer returns and complaints,
capturing data at source, guaranteeing full visibility, and accelerating the supply of replacement products or
fixes.
Jody Vincent, Sales Director at Emplas, said: “What’s critical at that point is that we get a fix or a replacement
product in place as soon as possible and we minimise disruption to our customers.”
Accessible through EVA, Emplas customers can now register a complaint, upload an image, and request and
trigger a replacement, through a single simplified process. www.emplas.co.uk
Homeowners’ habits have changed, and they won’t go back to choosing products based solely on price,
which means selling strategies must change, according to a fabricator Sternfenster.
Nathan Court, Sales Director at Sternfenster, argues that while homeowners spent more on their homes during the
pandemic – on higher value products – it is a mistake to think that consumer buying habits simply changed overnight.
He said: “Even before the pandemic took hold, we were having a lot of success selling the StyleLine window as a
high-end yet affordable flush timber sash window alternative.”
“We’ve found that homeowners’ views on aesthetics are changing,” he added. “The window industry has gone from
being driven by the demand for white squares, to about changing the look and the feel of your home.”
www.sternfenster.com
HOME IMPROVEMENT BOOM IS GOOD FOR INSTALLERS
Sky-high house prices and economic uncertainty will be good news for installers as it means that home
improvements will remain an attractive proposition for homeowners.
That’s the view of Jeremy Phillips, Group Chairman of Gloucester-based aluminium specialists CDW Systems.
Building society Nationwide revealed that figures show a 20 per cent rise in house prices in the two years since
the coronavirus pandemic began, and the average home is up £29,000 over the past year alone.
They also showed the cost of the average home has jumped £44,000 to £260,000 over the past two years, with
house price inflation hitting 12.6% in February.
According to Jeremy, this will mean home improvements are going to stay centre stage as homeowners struggle to make the move – and sales at CDW
Systems are backing that view up. www.cdwsystems.co.uk
66 T I APRIL 2022
PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST