The Glazerite UK Group Ltd
Address: 39-43 Rixon Court, Finedon Rd, Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 4BA
Tel: (01933) 443222 – Email: sales@glazerite.net – Website: https://www.glazeritewindows.co.uk
Products: Aluminium and PVC-U windows and doors, conservatories and curtain walling.
Glazerite celebrates its 20th birthday
Jason Thompson, Group MD of the Glazerite UK Group, reflects on 20 years in the business, and what the next 20 years holds for the fabricator
It’s hard to believe that just two decades ago, WIFI and Google were in their infancy, and we managed to somehow get through the day without smartphones, social media or Netflix. Britney was on the radio, England failed to make it out of the group stages at the Euros, Big Brother arrived on Channel 4, and we’d survived the Millennium Bug. The year 2000 was also the year John Hewitt and I founded Glazerite from a 1,000 ft2 factory in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. We had just four members of staff and one product – the Veka Matrix 58mm – and a target of 40 frames per week.
We’d gone into business with the sole aim of building a fabricator that could offer its customers great products and excellent service, something we felt was lacking in the industry at the time. We had no idea then just how quickly Glazerite would take off. Within four years we’d not only expanded our premises, we were up to nearly 400 frames per week.
Since then, we’ve gone from strength to strength, becoming one of Veka’s leading fabricators, with manufacturing sites in Bolton, Peterborough and two in Wellingborough, plus a sales office and trade counter in Bristol. It’s been challenging at times, and the industry has faced some difficult periods, but 20 years on, we’re both proud to still be very much in business, with John and I still very much a part of the furniture. We haven’t achieved this alone though; our success is down to the backing and belief we’ve had from our suppliers, a committed and hardworking workforce and the support of hundreds of installers up and down the UK.
Today, Glazerite employs over 270 staff who each strive to make us a ‘best-in-class’ supplier for our installer partners. Our product range has evolved into one of the most comprehensive in the industry, including the full Veka and Halo offering, as well as R7 and R9 from the Residence Collection. With access to eight profile systems, three composite door options, and a leading range of foils, our installer partners have all they need for the most discerning of customers. Unlike the year 2000, when white was the order of the day, the market is now driven by colour. This is matched by the popularity of styles like the Flush Sash, which have evolved so much in authenticity that PVC-U is even considered as an alternative for timber in conservation areas.
Giving our installer partners comprehensive choice and a bespoke service is something that continues to drive our business, and 2020 is no different. Our marketing team has grown dramatically over the last year and is set to deliver increased marketing support for our installers, in order to help drive their business on through the new decade and beyond. With access to a fresh installer-branded website system and a social media toolkit in the second half of the year, we will be working hard too really set our customers apart from their local competitors, as well as the nationals. Backed up with traditional marketing techniques like a new suite of retail brochures, which can be branded as the installer’s own, this support is at no cost to our customers, it’s simply a part of our offering.
2020 will also see the full effects of the £1 million investment we poured into the business last year, with improved efficiencies and capacity at our Northwest division thanks to the expansion of our Bolton site, and broader reach thanks to new vehicles in our delivery fleet. From humble beginnings and 40 frames in 2000, we now have the capacity to manufacture in excess of 4000 frames per week. So what will 2020 be remembered for? Definitely Brexit, and hopefully a better performance at the Euros. For Glazerite though, we intend to make it the beginning of another two decades of growth, cementing our position as the fabricator of choice and continuing on in our mission to help our installer partners achieve their own business goals.
