Clearview Midlands January 2014 - Issue 146 | Page 6

INDUSTRYNEWS

COMMERCIAL GLAZING MARKET SHIFTS
BACK TO POSITIVE GROWTH
2012 was another terrible year for the industry, but from here
the news is upbeat according to new Palmer report.
Beyond this, curtain walling, roof glazing
and shopfronts all saw record lows in 2012.
Each is predicted to grow by between 20 and
25% in the next five years, although shopfronts
will take a while to get going as some retail
operators dither about continuing to invest.
Windows, which represent nearly half of the
market, shrunk in volume terms by 14% in
2012, but are forecast to rise by over 20% to
2017, with the growth mainly coming from
the private sector.

With the continued bad news around the
economy meaning public sector cutbacks
and private sector reluctance to invest, it’s
hardly surprising that 2012 was another
year of decline for the Commercial Glazing
market.
However, according to latest Palmer Market
Research report, that situation is already
starting to change. By 2017 Palmer forecasts
that the market will be up by nearly a quarter
in real terms.

‘By 2017 Palmer forecasts
that the market will
be up by nearly a
quarter in real terms’
Time to celebrate?

That might depend on your client base.
In line with the economy in general, it’s the
private sector that’ll have most growth over the
next few years, as the graph shows.
While the market for commercial glazing
in offices is set to rise by a whopping 40%
over the next five years, the leisure sector will
show only a 10% increase, and health will
barely manage 4%, as funding cuts and delays

associated with new style PFI schemes continue
to have an impact.
Either way, its good news overall for a market
that saw a fourth consecutive year of decline in
2012, down 10% in volume terms to a value of
£2.4bn. Only the sector that Palmer describes
as Other Private, specifically in this case rail
and air projects, showed a rise – and a pretty
impressive one, at 26%.
The difference between volume and value
decreases, with the latter just over half the
former, gives a hint as to the other “winners”
over the last few years.
According to Robert Palmer, “Much of this
difference seems to be due to a switch to more
expensive entrance doors, for instance, the
investment by supermarket chains has led to a
big increase in the use of automatic doors”.

‘Aluminium has continued
and will continue to
be by far the dominant
frame meaterial’
Aluminium has continued and will
continue to be by far the dominant frame
material, nearly 80% in 2012. However, the
40% growth rate predicted for aluminium/
timber composites over the next five years
suggests that the market shouldn’t become too
complacent.
Palmer’s report also looks at the market for
solar shading, most often used in education
and offices. It shrunk by 8% in 2012, and is
likely to grow by 25% over the next five years,
slightly above the market in general.

‘Investment by
supermarket chains has
led to a