Northern Trade Windows celebrated 30 years of business in 2024 , with MD Elliot Cosgrove growing up alongside the business his dad built . Now taking NTW to the next level , the team are enjoying commercial success in the aluminium sector . The secret to turning a local , family business into a commercial

contracts operation , however is in trying not to change anything at all – as Elliot explains …

When Clearview first visited NTW at the start of 2024 , this was a major milestone , during the business ’ s 30-year celebrations . What became clear however , is that while NTW is growing and evolving – most notably into the commercial aluminium sector ¬– under Elliot ’ s leadership ; there is one important aspect that hasn ’ t changed at all .

“ The customer will always come first ,” begins Elliot . “ Whether it ’ s a trade job of a few windows or a multi-million pound project . And all companies say they put the customer front and centre but it ’ s one of the first things I noticed when I joined this year . Here it really is true .”

NTW ’ s first foray into commercial began with uPVC but soon developed into the aluminium sector . In Elliot ’ s own words , no matter the size of the job , “ at the end of the day , we ’ re making windows and doors ,” although there are certain factors you need to consider when you move into commercial .

Commercial tenders often involve more ‘ red tape ’, when it comes to building regs , higher specification for windows , ratings and testing , health and safety , risk assessment , compliancy ; all of this has to be taken into consideration . Bigger jobs mean working with much bigger companies so there are more people involved and the time frames are longer ; this may mean you have plenty of time to prepare for production , but can also cause problems with pricing – if the cost and availability of materials changes over the course of a project .

All this considered , Elliot and the whole team at NTW retain

the attitude that service and support never needs to alter . The key comes in striking a balance between ‘ old and new ’; that ’ s seizing new opportunities and thinking about the future , while trying not to lose the core values that are engrained a brand that has been going for 30 years .

Elliot continues : “ It ’ s no secret that we ’ re a company built on traditional values , and we ’ re very proud of that . That ’ s not say that NTW isn ’ t a modern business , because it is . But , it ’ s really important in modern business to have a human touch . Here we don ’ t think you have to choose to be ‘ modern ’ or ‘ traditional ’, our strength is all of our experience and expertise , coupled with the evolution in commercial and continued innovation .

“ Online ordering and digital door designers are fantastic but we know that customers still like to pick up the phone and talk to us . When I took over as MD ,

NTW ’ s website had a complete overhaul across a six-month project . While it ’ s essential to have that digital awareness now , a lot of companies in our industry are still behind in that regard . But more than that , it helps gain enquiries too .

“ I think because NTW cut its cloth with trade jobs , they apply that same ethos to commercial contracts now , and that really makes a difference . When a business has been established for 30 years , it ’ s easy to ask ‘ how has it changed ?’ during that time , but equally important is to know and understand what qualities that business has that has allowed it to trade for 30 years ! Not what is now different , but what has made a difference to customers .”

Find out more about this forward-thinking , family company in our 2025 magazines and by visiting www . northerntradewindows . co . uk