FROMTHEEDITOR
Established just a year ago , The Northern Powerhouse Partnership ( NPP ) aims to increase the contribution the North makes to the UK economy . The aim is to achieve this through co-operation with local stakeholders at all levels along with government .
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IT WAS NOT SURPRISING THEN THAT NPP chose VEKA Group ’ s Burnley headquarters as the location for the launch of its latest report ;‘ Powerhouse 2050 : The North ’ s Routemap for Productivity ’. The report focussed on Education & Skills , Infrastructure & Assets , International Competitiveness , and Leadership & Learning – the four primary capabilities of the Powerhouse 2050 report which hones in on Advanced Manufacturing & Materials , Energy , Digital , and Health Innovation , with a series of specific proposals for government funding , business investment and closer collaboration across the North .
Following an introduction from Director of Northern Powerhouse Partnership Henri Murison , former Chancellor and NPP Chair George Osborne delivered a rousing speech on the past , present and future of the initiative .
Mr Osborne said :“ One of the major aims is to improve connectivity ….
“ We have all the ingredients we need for the Northern Powerhouse to succeed , and now it ’ s time to make some decisions on what to focus on , because choosing everything , means choosing nothing . A great idea like this cannot live and die with any one MP or government , but if the North itself owns this idea , it will endure .”
ENERGY EFFICIENCY Energy efficiency is a phrase with which we are all now all too familiar , but we must remind ourselves of its crucial importance at every level . This industry plays an increasingly significant role in energy efficiency as our feature in this issue demonstrates .
G17 IS ALMOST HERE !
Congratulations to all the finalists in the G17 Awards , all of whom have worked extremely hard in a tough year , and who richly deserve some industry recognition for their efforts . The awards event is always a major highlight in the calendar and this year will be no exception .
Pat Gwynnette , Group Editor
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY : THE WINDOW DOOR AND CONSERVATORY SECTORS TO 2021
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PALMER MARKET Research ’ s new report into the performance and prospects of the UK window and door industry , warns of significant headwinds , with a slowdown in the housing market and uncertainty surrounding Brexit .
Palmer ’ s new market research report , The Window , Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain , accounts that the industry performed above forecast in 2016 .
This included growth of 1 % in volume terms and 7 % in value terms to £ 4.5bn , driven by a shift towards higher-end products .
The market for windows in total grew 1.2 % to 6.82million frames and remains dominated by PVC-U . This this was , however , outstripped by a 5.5 % increase in installed value to £ 2.38bn .
The ‘ trade-off ’ to this growth was a slowing in the volume PVC-U market and a continuing decline in sales of timber windows .
More positively , the report found that average installed prices of conservatories were up by 12 %, while conservatory replacements saw growth of 6 %, although this was offset by a decline in first time installations of 4 %.
If the industry performed above expectation in 2016 , Palmer is far less sanguine about its prospects going forward .
The report paints a complex picture defined by pockets of substantial growth but delivered against a forecast backdrop of market contraction of 4 % this year , 2 % in 2018 and 1 % in 2019 before a return to moderate growth in 2020 .
The Window , Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain 2017 nonetheless identifies some significant areas of growth going forward . These are for the most part defined by product and material type .
The growth recorded in bi-fold door sales and those of mechanically jointed PVC-U windows means that both are tipped for significant growth going forward as part of the general shift to higher end products . The fortunes for windows , doors and conservatories are again mixed , defined by a combination of installation and material type .
www . palmermarketresearch . co . uk
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