Listers closes-out the year with record month
Listers has ended 2022 with a record £4million month, with sales boosted by sales of Sheerline, Residence Collection and its heritage Timeless window.
Listers, which has named Fabricator of the Year at the NFA Awards in November, added the new Sheerline range to its offer early in 2022, coinciding with major investment in its in-house aluminium manufacturing facility.
Roy Frost, Managing Director, Listers, said that the fabricator had seen consistent growth in demand throughout the year, contributing to its record £4m month in November.
We brought the Sheerline bifold on because of its thermal performance and because of the installation efficiencies that it delivers, including its knock-in glazing bead.
We’ve expanded the range to include the Sheerline Roof Lantern and the Prestige window range, which gets down to U-values as low as 1.3W/m2k with a double-glazed unit, 0.9W/m2k with a triple-glazed. We’ve also added the Sheerline Classic Window to our offer this month [December].
The thermal performance is exceptional across the range and with Part L, high energy bills and freezing temperatures, Sheerline is creating big opportunities for our customers.
Listers has also successfully aligned its PVC-U and aluminium ranges so that standard aluminium finishes, including agate-grey-on-white, are available on the same rapid lead times as PVC-U, including R9, R7 and Lister’s own Timeless heritage flush casement.
Roy said that making aluminium and PVC-U products available on the same lead times had been important in underpinning growth.
Our strategy has been to focus on premium products but to recognise that end-users may want a mix of products in aluminium and PVC-U on their home – it’s not about a single material.
Having a single point of order and delivery for PVC-U and aluminium, rather than to source them separately, simplifies things for our customers so they can focus on winning business and getting product fitted.
Growing demand for its aluminium offer has been matched by continuing demand for flush and timber alternative product ranges, including R9 and R7. These are available from Listers in a heritage mechanically jointed option and are tested to Secured by Design standards.
Listers has also positioned its Timeless Flush Sash Window in this space. Manufactured in Veka Halo’s heritage flush sash system, it offers an authentic alternative to timber with slim sightlines, a choice of Georgina bars, traditional ironmongery and dummy peg stay option.
Roy said that Listers had been careful to manage growth to ensure that it was sustainable, with £2.5m invested across its’ manufacturing sites in Stoke and Essex.
We’ve also worked hard and will continue to do so, to retain and recruit quality people. We introduced a £1,000 cost of living allowance in May and committed to make that permanent this month [December]. We’ve also decided to move to the new minimum wage now ahead of April to support our team with rising costs.
That’s important because products and processes are ultimately underpinned by people. We’re building a really strong team, that’s reflected in the growth that we’re seeing, and we want to retain them.