Steve Mines, Sales Director, Sliders UK discusses growing demand for aluminium inline sliding doors and asks, could sales supersede those of aluminium bi-folding doors?
If you look at our sales last year bi-folding doors continued to perform exceptionally strongly. The Ultimate Evolution, which can be fitted in as little as 45-minutes performed particularly well.
What is also very clear from an analysis of our sales figures is that aluminium inline sliding doors have also seen growth. Is that at the expense of aluminium bi-folds? It’s difficult to say because our sales across the board have been up and we’ve taken increased market share.
My gut feeling is, however, that demand for inline sliding doors is on an upward trajectory at the expense of bi-folding doors. The point is that the market demand for aluminium bi-folding doors is so buoyant, that if the increased demand for aluminium inline sliding doors is at the expense of bi-folds, it isn’t really touching the sides.
In addition to the Ultimate Evolution Bi-folding door, Sliders UK also supplies ALUK’s BSF70 Aluminium Bi-folding Door, adding ALUK’s BSC94 Aluminium Inline Sliding Door to its offer early last year [2018].
The Ultimate Aluminium Inline Sliding Door from Sliders UK taps into this growing demand for aluminium product.
Accommodating individual panel heights of up to 3000mm and maximum weights per panel of 400kg, it’s available in mono, dual or tri rail options, accommodating IGUs ranging from 20-31mm.
Achieving u-values as low as 1.7W/m2K, it has also been weather tested to Class 7a (300Pa) water tightness; Class 4 (600PA) air tightness; and C4 (1600 Pa), wind loading.
The Ultimate Inline Sliding Door also addresses the security issues that plagued first generation aluminium inline sliding doors head on, featuring a high security six-point hook lock as standard. It can also be up-graded to an ultra-secure specification using the high security Pentalock mechanism and handle option, achieving PAS24 and Part Q approvals.
It’s a proven system and delivers what you would it expect it to on performance. For me, the real selling point is the slim sightline inter-lock option, which at just 45mm is barely noticeable and for the end-user a real reason to buy it.
At 44mm rather than a standard 85mm, it’s an immediately noticeable and consequently strong sales platform. It’s not only a point of differentiation but also opportunity to sell at greater margin.
The Ultimate ALUK aluminium Sliding Door is available in white, anthracite grey and anthracite grey-on-white, and black on white as standard. Sliders UK also offers any RAL colour or combination of colours, on special order. The finish is also guaranteed for 10-years.
The Ultimate ALUK Aluminium Inline Sliding Door is supplied with a choice of Black, White and Silver P handles as standard.
‘Will we supply more inline sliding aluminium doors this year?’ ‘Yes’, we would to expect to. I’d suggest that ultimately within the market as a whole, that will be at the expense of sales of aluminium bi-folding doors.
They compete in the same space and aluminium sliding doors are a good ‘fit’ with the architectural and minimalist designs that are driving home improvement and particularly the very contemporary styling that is defining home extensions.
The year-round appeal, slim sightlines and efficient use of space are always going to be plusses and poignant arguments in retail.
The end-user appeal opening up of space and connection between home and garden that bi-folding doors delivers, is however, still the dominant force within the market – something unlikely to change anytime soon.
For more information contact sales@sliders-uk.com
