All Things Installer
Premium Products Lose Their Shine
Latest data from software pioneers, Tommy Trinder, suggests that changes in the market are creating price pressure on premium products such as flush casements, vertical sliders and bifolds.
Analysis from more 200,000 quotes done over the last six months, by 640 of the UK’ s leading window installers, indicates that margins are coming under pressure at the top end of the market, says founder and CEO of Tommy Trinder, Chris Brunsdon.
“ When the cost-of-living crisis struck, under 50s homeowners with mortgages and big outgoings, were hit hard and left with little to spend on improving their properties. The budget end of the window market fell away, with the collapse of UKWDG and Safestyle serving as high-profile signals that the writing was on the wall for window firms focussed on selling basic, white plastic windows.
“ Savvy installers moved quickly to diversify their range and the Tommy Trinder platform saw a surge in the volumes of aluminium, timber and top end PVCu being quoted. Window firms, hitherto used to selling any colour as long as it was white and any handle as long as it was gold, sought out products that were formally niche; flush casements, box sashes and bifold doors were flying off the shelves.
TommyTrinder. com Ltd launched Framepoint ® to help installers sell with a‘ wow’. Designed by installers for installers, it makes it easy to sell all types of windows and doors – regardless of manufacturer and material. With set-up in minutes, the interface is as simple as sketching on a pad. Developed by former installer Chris Brunsdon( now CEO of Tommy Trinder) it puts the fun back into selling windows!
The web-based app makes it easy to display products and see how they look on a house, easy to chop-and-change until the homeowner is happy, and easy to price. It’ s also quick and simple to get prices from suppliers, create a professional, branded quote, and create orders – without admin headaches.
“ Most configurators are designed from the perspective of fabricators to help installers order‘ correctly’ and lock them in,” Chris adds. But, with his installer background and a top technical team, Chris designed Tommy Trinder’ s Framepoint ® technology to focus on helping installers sell and homeowners buy. The app is available on a low-cost monthly subscription and can be cancelled at any time.
“ As those premium products moved from hands of the few into the hands of the many, selling prices have come under pressure. The number of aluminium products being sold has stayed flat, but aluminium in value terms has declined from 35 % of the market to 29 % since 2022. We are seeing the same trends in flush sash, and vertical sliders. Meanwhile the price of bifolds has fallen by 5 %-in some areas the country you can get one installed for less than £ 1000 a leaf, a record low.
“ Overall, the picture is of installers presenting ever more complex product ranges just to stand still.”
Despite falling prices and a tightening market, Tommy Trinder report that demand for their software has never been stronger, with more than 35 installation firms moving to the platform in March alone. Says Chris:“ The need to streamline and simplify quoting has never been more pressing. Installers are on hunt for software that will wow homeowners; tools to help position them at the upper end of the market and make it easy to sell quality products to discerning customers. Tommy is proving the tool for the job.”
www. tommytrinder. com
50 MAY 2025 CLEARVIEW-UK. COM