Severe Weather Affects Sales Of Conservatories

December 10, 2010

Selling ConservatoriesThis year has seen the most severe weather conditions for over 30 years. In January 2010, the UK suffered the worst bout of snow in decades which had a decremental affect on the sales of conservatories.

Year on year, sales of conservatories in January have always been high but this year has been dramatically different due to the severe weather. Our conservatory sales literally halved in January in comparison to previous years and this continued well in to February. Consequently, turnover was also affected and we didn’t make up for the lost sales until the end of October, in fact by then we were 5% up on sales compared to the same period last year.

Then in November, we saw further heavy snow falls, even worse than that of January and again affecting the sales of conservatories. This has resulted in a further loss of sales and has taken us back to around the same sales figures as last year. Well it could have been a lot worse as last year was a good one and we’ve done very well to recover from the disruptions of 2010.

On top of all that, we’ve had further disruptions such as The World Cup and a General Election together with continued recession conditions and falling house prices. All in all, it has been an extremely difficult year for businesses in all industries, not just for conservatories.

In some ways, conservatories have benefited from the recession as consumers decide to extend their homes rather than move and opt for a conservatory rather than a traditional brick built extension with a view to saving money.

Next January sees the VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% which is likely to have some affect on sales but I think this will be minimal as it adds around £250 to the cost of average conservatories.

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Posted by David Bingham

Cream conservatories become more popular

August 16, 2010

It got off to a slow start, but cream conservatories are gradually becoming a more popular choice for consumers.

In my own personal experience, the feedback that I have received on cream windows and conservatories has been one of two opinions. People either love it or hate it.

My own opinion is that cream looks nice in the right place. I’m not too keen on how it looks on red brick properties, however I think it can look very good for stone built properties and for certain rendered colours and finishes.

As far as I am aware, there are two systems companies that provide a fully extruded PVCu window system in cream, Eurocell and Spectus.

Eurocell I believe, is currently the only systems company that produces a fully extruded PVCu cream conservatory roof system, although some parts on non-standard roofs have to be painted, such as box gutter and valley covers, however, they are continuing to add more extruded cream parts as time goes by.

I think cream will continue to increase in popularity for both windows and conservatories but I wouldn’t expect it to become as popular as white, golden oak or rosewood.

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Posted by David Bingham

Are conservatories getting cheaper?

February 8, 2010

With many companies in our industry struggling to stay afloat, particularly with the recent recession, the prices of conservatories are being driven down in desperation to acquire new business.

At a time when higher prices are needed in order for companies to be profitable, conservatories are being sold cheaper than ever in the midst of fierce competition.

I’ve seen companies advertising prices of around £6000 including VAT for a complete nine square metre conservatory package including base, brickwork and installation.

These sort of prices can only be described as ridicolous, and the fact is, there cannot possibly be any profit made on conservatories sold at those price levels.

So what is the solution? We there are two, both of which are vital to success – good products and good professional conservatory sales people.

The biggest mistake a sales person can make is to think that he or she has to be the cheapest in order to get a sale. This couldn’t be further from the truth, in fact a very small minority of consumers buy on price alone.

Price is important to most, but consumers primarily buy on confidence in the company, quality of product and standard of workmanship.

This is exactly the same with any product being sold, not just conservatories, you don’t need to pay sales people that simply undercut everyone else, anyone can do that, it’s not difficult! Consumers want to be sure that they are going to get a good job and a good product at a fair price.

A conservatory is a major purchase costing several thousand pounds and will become an important part of the home for many years, therefore a sales person should sell their company, sell themself and demonstrate their product in detail.

A sale cannot be rushed, if a potential customer doesn’t like you, they will not buy from you, no matter how cheap you are. Price should be the very last thing that is discussed prior to taking an order.

Conservatories need to be planned in detail and carefully designed to suit the properties to which they are attached and two or more site visits are normally required before the consumer has enough confidence to place their order.

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Posted by David Bingham

Your conservatory must go Sir Cliff Richard

February 1, 2010

The singer Cliff Richard has lost his appeal against a demolition order on his conservatory.

Sir Cliff had the 17 foot conservatory built at his Surrey mansion in 2006 at a cost of around £30,000 but failed to obtain planning permission and breached the rules according to planning officials.

Runnymede Council have given Sir Cliff until 9th March 2010 to remove his conservatory after they dismissed his appeal against their decision.

The conservatory has been deemed to make the property too big and was noticed when Sir Cliff put his house up for sale in 2009 for £1.35m.

Consumers often find planning permission rules confusing and the laws were relaxed last year for conservatories of certain sizes and locations.

It is advised that any one looking to build a conservatory or any other extension on their home should check with their local planning department before proceeding.

More information about planning permission for conservatories can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/planningpermission.

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Posted by David Bingham

Conservatory Blinds

January 23, 2010

Conservatory blinds take on a special meaning in today’s context, since they play an important role in maintaining the interior climactic integrity and general ambience of present-day conservatories. There was less emphasis on conservatory blinds in the distant past, since conservatories back then were rather large, rustic glass and metal structures used as greenhouses for the breeding of tender and often exotic plants and sometimes even for rare birds and animals.

The more compact conservatories of the present day are invariably used in private homes. While hobby botanists do employ them for serious plant growing, their primary purpose invariably is home beautification. They are very popular countries featuring cold climates. Such structures are far more dependent on conservatory blinds of appropriate dimensions, technical specifications and quality, since the current conservatories are invariably crafted in PVC or similar materials. This fact places a significant onus on the ability of conservatory blinds to retain internal and resist external climactic conditions.

To a certain extent, these insulating functions are performed by a conservatory’s glass roofs and walls in wintertime. However, the limitations to glass become apparent in summer, when internal temperatures rise under the sun’s increasing glare. Conservatory blinds then become essential – and not only on the inside but also on the outside. The reason is that while conservatory blinds on the inside of the glass will prevent the sun’s rays from seeping in, the heat that has already suffused the glass will itself create an uncomfortable thermal effect that cannot be reversed by non-artificial means. Therefore, the installation of exterior conservatory blinds is also very important. Once these are in place, up to 95% of the sun’s radiant heat will not reach the glass at all, making the conservatory comfortably usable even in summertime.

Read full article:  http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/conservatory-blinds-and-why-you-need-them-772951.html

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Posted by David Bingham

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