Clearview National March 2016 - Issue 172 | Page 22

INDUSTRYNEWS Creating a shading effect »»CHESTER BASED, MARKILUX UK Limited has built up a reputation within the outside living industry as one of the market's top suppliers of sun protection for homes, in the form of outside awnings and canopies. Manufactured in Germany by its parent company, the UK division provides a comprehensive range of patio and balcony, conservatory, open side panels, blinds and interior awning and canopy designs. The manufacturing excellence for the products means the business has had to develop a dual set of skills from technical and creative engineering, to a highly developed knowledge of textiles and materials. For its collection of conservatory canopies, the products include an intelligent way of controlling the environment around it; protecting and keeping heat in during the winter and keeping the living area cool and controlled in the summer. The various canopy systems sit above the conservatory or attended living area, and can be extended dependent on the need of sheltering or protection against cold. The systems can also offer a varying range of privacy; adding open side panels to make an outside room area or using the stunning designs from the Markilux internal blind range, helping customers to keep out prying eyes. Markilux is currently looking to recruit distributors and retailers in the UK, which they believe will add further margins when selling an add-on product whilst fitting a conservatory or orangery. Because of the nature of the products, the effects when installed can be dramatic and visually give the property a feel of the ‘Mediterranean’ instantly; giving the homeowner a reason to utilise the space practically all year round. Markilux products are designed with a contemporary look and feel, and can be easily installed with minimum effort at both new and existing sites wanting protection from the sun. Call 01244 68 99 33 or visit www.markilux.co.uk L&G to launch £55m offsite housing factory inYorkshire Legal and General is set to open a major offsite factory in Yorkshire as part of a plan to shake-up the house building sector. »»THE INSTITUTIONAL investor is also setting up a new arm to be known as L&G Homes to manage the development of new homes, making it a major player in the sector. Details of the project are being kept under close wraps but it is believed a formal launch is due in the next few weeks. It is understood that L&G will invest £55m in converting and fitting out a warehouse facility which will be capable of supplying 3,000 houses a year. It is also believed to have approval to build further off-site plants if the first scheme takes off. The first planned facility will take off-site manufacturer to the final level finishing fit-out within the factory. The latest plans come just weeks after L&G teamed up with Dutch pension fund manager, PGGM, to develop build-to-rent homes. 22 » M AR 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M At the time of the deal LGC said it planned to disrupt the status quo of ever increasing rental rises by investing long-term institutional funds into building new homes to rent at scale, and by developing an institutional rental market. The duo initially plan to build 650 flats in Bristol, Salford and Walthamstow in north-east London. More than a year ago L&G boss Nigel Wilson said the ‘the investor wanted to build five new towns across Britain’ investor wanted to build five new towns across Britain over the next 10 years at a cost of up to £5bn. Source: Construction Enquirer