Enquiry levels give rise to cautious optimism

2009-07-23

Recent reports of stability returning to the markets and an emergence from the worst of the downturn are being supported by Scotts of Thrapston, where growing joinery enquiry levels are up by around 40% on this time last year.

“A gradual recovery has been gathering momentum in the second quarter of the year,” says Scotts Chairman, David Scott, “The last two months in particular, though, have provided some comfort that customer confidence is slowly improving and that hopefully the worst of the market conditions are behind us. Enquiry numbers and order values across the Scotts business have been steadily on the rise over the past quarter, with June in particular being very good for the company.”

Scotts is confident that the consumers’ move away from using non-biodegradable, man-made materials, such as PVC, will continue apace as we exit the downturn and the company is seeing signs of a revitalised interest in traditional, quality joinery products. Ian Hodgkin, General Manager for joinery at Scotts comments: “As much of the early PVC is coming to the end of its life, looking tired and unattractive, people are increasingly turning to timber replacements, aware of the advancements in recent years in the way wood is treated and prepared – it lasts longer now than ever before and presents few maintenance demands.”

Ian adds: “This reconnection with wood is also evident with a growing number of developers specifying timber doors, panelling and skirtings, in a variety of hardwoods, Walnut in particular.”

Of key significance though at Scotts is the recent rise in the number of feature truss enquiries for new build and renovation work. This visually striking addition to any property is usually made from Douglas Fir or Oak and can be made to span anything from 3 - 11 metres. The sheer scale of a Scotts feature truss naturally makes it a significant finishing touch to a project and the increase in enquiries is an encouraging trend in the homebuilding and renovating sector. “The fact that feature trusses seem back on the planning agenda for many, bodes very well for the future,” says Ian.

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