Home builders : Non-essential maintenance work in homes allowed from 26 April. Scottish home builders are keenly awaiting the planned 26 April lifting of restrictions which have prevented workers from entering customers’ homes for non-essential aftercare work during the latest lockdown and over a large part of the last year.

This is one of the top priorities for the Board of trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS), which met last week, coinciding with the positive news that the industry had achieved a record level of customer satisfaction with 91% of customers willing to recommend their builder to a friend.

HFS Chief Executive Nicola Barclay said:

“As every new home is a bespoke product, there will inevitably be some aftercare required but, for much of the last year, builders have been unable to undertake anything other than essential work in people’s homes.  “Our members tell us that customers have been extremely patient as they recognise the Scottish Government-imposed lockdown restrictions have been for their own safety, but the end of April really can’t come soon enough. Undeniably, there will be a backlog to work through, but our members are busy preparing for that challenge and are keen to resolve any outstanding issues for their customers as soon as they can.”

Property & Development Magazine

Lockdown DIY and home market boom behind record breaking sales for building products firm.

PERMAGROUP, a collection of brands that provide permanent solutions to age-old building problems, has attributed three consecutive record-breaking months to a strengthening market and several key business focuses implemented since the first nationwide lockdown.

The company credits the success already seen this year to investing in marketing and boosting customer retention by launching its PermaGroup brand with its many sub-brands now sitting clearly underneath, making it simple for customers to navigate its growing range of products. Its record-breaking start to the year follow 2020’s results, which showed it had achieved its most profitable year since the business began two decades ago.

Adrian Buttress, managing director of PermaGroup and its associated brands including PermaRoof UK, the UK’s leading importer and distributor of Firestone RubberCover, expressed his confidence in the market strength in 2020 and believes the consumer focus on DIY and home improvement will only continue to bolster the sector.

He said: “I believe the vaccination programme is fuelling positivity with the glimmer of things starting to get back to some sense of normality within the year. We have seen an upsurge in homeowners wanting garden rooms and I’m sure the same will apply to fencing and artificial lawns as the sun continues to shine – all backed by surplus funds from cancelled holidays to invest back into their property and gardens.”

Despite this positivity, there are, of course, likely to be challenges ahead. He said: “In the final quarter of 2020, I predicated that this year was going to be turbulent and yet stronger due to the work already done to build solid foundations and put business plans in place. I think this has proven to be accurate so far in relation to our own business as well as those contractors we work with daily.

“For others in our customer base, from merchants to commercial and domestic contractors, our recommendation is to continue diversifying where possible – look for opportunities where demand is, or is likely to become high, and make the most of it. For us, that has meant the launch of our commercial offering and upcoming additions to our ranges such as a kit builder for PermaFence or a composite decking system, especially in time for summer.

“Secondly, I think all businesses have learnt that customers must be at the centre of everything they do – whether that’s services or added incentives. For us, we’re even taking it as far as launching a lead generation programme for our contractors.

“Finally, continuing the work that all successful businesses did during the first lockdowns to bolster and strengthen operations – again for us that means upgrading IT systems, improvements to the efficiency of ordering systems, and investing in logistics software to streamline deliveries.”

PermaGroup sources the very best in innovative products that provide permanent solutions to age-old problems. The company has expanded into a growing group of brands all operating under the PermaGroup umbrella – including high-quality artificial grass via PermaLawn, maintenance-free metal fencing solution PermaFence, cost-effective steel-framed buildings through PermaRoom, and The Skylight Company.  For more information, please visit www.permaroof.co.uk

Property & Development Magazine