Six-months on from its MBO, Sliders UK has reported record growth, driven by product development and rapidly growing share in the aluminium market.
According, to the door specialist, year-on-year sales were up 36% at the end of September on the same time last year, driven by increased sales in its Ultimate Evolution and ALUK aluminium bi-folding door ranges.
It comes following this April’s MBO and a significant restructure of the business, including six-figure investment in its manufacturing capability and the expansion of its product and service offer.
Ian Longbottom, Chairman, Sliders UK said: “The MBO in April allowed the new senior management team to take the brakes off the business and to set our ambitious growth strategy running.
“That’s included major investment in our aluminum offer, including the Ultimate Evolution adjustable jamb bi-fold and continuing investment in our established offer from ALUK.
“We have now been able to move this further forward with the launch of two new aluminium window systems, in addition to our PVC-U and composite door ranges, which have given our customers new reach into the higher margin aluminium sector.”
Completed at the end of April, the management buy-out, saw Longbottom continue in the role he assumed in 2016, as Sliders UK Chairman. Steve Mines also remaining in his existing post as Sales Director.
They were joined in a newly created senior management team by Sliders UK’s new Managing Director, Alex Murphy, previously Operations Director and Finance Director, Jonathan Foxcroft.
This followed a 10,000 sq ft expansion of Sliders UK’s manufacturing hub, housing a new purpose-built distribution facility, new lines and the expansion of its product offer.
This included the new Duraflex bi-folding door, which achieves a DER ‘A’ rating and u-values as low as 1.1Wm2/K, in addition to established PVC-U offers from Eurocell.
The Ultimate Evolution bi-fold can cut installation time to as little as 45minutes
But it is its aluminium offer which has been the major foundation of the door specialist’s growth, including the Ultimate Evolution Aluminium Bi-folding door, launched late last year.
It’s USP is a highly innovative fully adjustable jamb option, which fitted to both sides of the door, makes squaring and setting faster – cutting installation time to as little as 45 minutes.
This was followed by the launch of the Ultimate Rooflite – an aluminium lantern roof – and the Evolution XT ultra-energy efficient aluminium window last month [Sept]. This delivers a Passive Haus equivalent standard of performance with u-values as low as 0.85 W/m2K.
Ian Longbottom, Chairman, Sliders UK
“The market is in general challenging, which makes what we and our customers are achieving even more impressive”, continued Longbottom. “The investment that we have made in our infrastructure and our product ranges is now paying off for us – but most importantly, our customers.
“The growth we’re now seeing in our aluminium window and door ranges is a real testimony to that and we believe it puts them and us in a very strong position going forward”, he concluded.
According to the The Window, Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain, by Palmer, aluminium saw 24% growth in the last year, including 26% growth in volume terms and installed value by 28% in sales of aluminium windows.
For more information contact sales@sliders-uk.com