Tom Allen senior product manager for REAL Aluminium

With continued investment and strong revenue growth, Customade Group has announced the appointment of Tom Allen as senior product manager with responsibility for the group’s REAL Aluminium brand. 

The appointment of Tom will support REAL Aluminium in its mission to be the benchmark for aluminium in the UK and help the business to achieve its ambitious future growth plans.

Tom joins Customade Group from a leading national home improvement company where has was head of product development across aluminium, timber and PVCu fenestration products. Tom has more than 15 years of product management and development experience with several established blue-chip companies, including the Construction Industry Training Board, Aviva and Carphone Warehouse. Tom will work across multiple sites within the Customade Group.

Commenting on his appointment, Tom said: “It’s great to be joining REAL Aluminium at such a pivotal time. The premium sector of the market is growing rapidly with more and more homeowners choosing aluminium for aesthetics, performance, security and sustainability. REAL is already a market-leader and I’m looking forward to taking the brand to the next level with a structured development programme that will deliver products that are relevant to today’s consumers. We’re driven by innovation and I’m already looking at new additions and improvements to the REAL range. It will certainly be a busy and exciting time over the next few months!”

Derek Thomas, head of demand generation at Customade Group, added: “REAL Aluminium has achieved sales growth of more than 10% ahead of the market this year, so it’s a real success story for Customade Group. We’re delighted to have bolstered our team with Tom’s appointment; his experience and skills will drive a series of new product and service developments and help REAL to cement its leading position in the industry.”

Tom’s appointment, together with a number of key investments, are the foundation of a strong future for REAL Aluminium. REAL recently launched its new online quoting and ordering system, which enables installers to quote and order REAL products anytime and anywhere when they are online.  The launch of the software followed a major £250,000 investment programme at REAL to create an additional 23,000ft² aluminium factory space. The factory has boosted production of REAL Aluminum’s products and helped the business to satisfy its industry-leading two-week lead time on windows and bifolding doors.

REAL Aluminium is supporting installers that want to maximise the potential of aluminium and benefit from the higher profit opportunities it brings. REAL is committed to giving them all the tools they need to grow and the ‘REAL Difference’ brings together a complete range of aluminium products and a comprehensive showroom and award-winning sales and marketing support package to help installers to promote, quote, order and sell aluminium with ease.