Colin St John, Commercial Director of Freefoam, looks at how installers and stockists are using cladding as a vehicle for growth, as it tops homeowners’ lists for planned improvements in 2023.
Using trend-topper cladding to grow your business
One in 10 homeowners now favour renovations over moving, due to rising living costs and increased interest rates, according to the recent report, Opportunities in Challenging Times, from specialist lender Together.1 One of the key drivers behind the trend is the need for a more energy efficient home, but homeowners are also “tired of...
Colin St John, Commercial Director of Freefoam, looks at how installers and stockists are using cladding as a vehicle for growth, as it tops homeowners’ lists for planned improvements in 2023.
Using trend-topper cladding to grow your business
One in 10 homeowners now favour renovations over moving, due to rising living costs and increased interest rates, according to the recent report, Opportunities in Challenging Times, from specialist lender Together.1 One of the key drivers behind the trend is the need for a more energy efficient home, but homeowners are also “tired of faults”, and plan to spend an average of £12,200 on upgrading their property.
Over the past year or so, the UK has seen a surge of interest in home improvement projects.ii Google trend analysis by Pepper Money shows search volume has increased significantly, by 59% year-on-year in April 2023.
Investing in enhancing your home can bring big financial benefits in the long-term – not only do you skip considerable costs associated with moving, but with the right improvements you can boost the value of your property (and its saleability or kerb appeal) and make significant savings on energy payments.
But the renovations homeowners are choosing now aren’t necessarily the ones that would have topped the list a few years ago. Saving energy is much more important to homeowners now: high fuel bills - which have nearly doubled over the past year - are with us to stay, as predictions for a small drop in July and October are to be followed by a rise in January 2024.iii
Interest in energy-efficient improvements is higher than ever, and cladding, according to the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023, is the one that saw demand increase the most in 2022, by an unprecedented 743%.
But how can installers and stockists capture this demand?
Having the right product at the right time can help you take advantage of a growing market. But for long-term growth you need to work with a supplier that doesn’t stand still, and continues to develop what it offers, thinking several steps ahead. Freefoam, for example, has committed to cladding, with products developed in line with what installers and homeowners want, rather than top-down manufacturing designs which don’t work in the real market.
We have the most comprehensive choice of PVC cladding on the market, with three ranges that include different colours and finishes, with something to suit all properties and budgets. Our cladding is low-maintenance and saves energy, as you’d expect, but it’s also easy-to-install and comes with pioneering guarantees, so it’s easy to sell, too.
“We see cladding as a real boom sector for us, sales are really strong,” says Kris Jones, Category Manager for Flat Roofing, Building Products and External Cladding at Huws Gray, a Freefoam stockist. “Freefoam has been really supportive of our expansion.”
Earlier this year we launched Shadow Gap, a new Fortex cladding product with a subtle, embossed finish like painted pine, and a deep groove between boards. It can be fitted horizontally or vertically, for the illusion of height, so it’s ideal for garden rooms or studios, or to add interest to patios.
The entire Fortex® range is now also available in Anthracite Grey, the standout colour choice for external home improvements for a number of years now. Adding this new shade means homeowners can now match their cladding to their roofline, windows, and doors for a full suite, which means installers can upsell additional products. For example, our colour competition winner in March, Freefoam Registered Installer Glen Young, used Anthracite Grey fascia and Misty Grey cladding to match/complement the homeowner’s front door, for a total house transformation (pictured).
“The wide range of colours [Freefoam] offer has helped us win many contracts. The most popular colours with homeowners at the moment tend to be the grey shades,” adds Terry Luscombe, Director of Registered Intstaller, Weatherproof Systems.
But even the best product won’t sell without the right support: to really develop and grow you need a full range of marketing and POS materials, websites, and in-depth technical advice from a source you can trust. Stockists and merchants tell us that our independent stockists business model means we don’t compete with customers, making us a more stable and reliable partner. It also means we can offer things like homeowner leads that aren’t shared with anyone else. We actively generate qualified leads for our network of Registered Installers through MyFascia and MyCladding websites. Registered Installers can also offer extended guarantees to homeowners for the ultimate peace of mind.
Meanwhile, our Visualiser and Calculator design and sales tools show homeowners how cladding can transform their properties and how much product will be used, which not only opens up opportunities but allows for upselling and increased margins too.
Cladding is transforming homes across the UK.