Clearview National February 2016 - Issue 171 | Page 78

glass&sealedunits

Aluminium Growth
Boosts Glazing Sales
»»Chris Reeks, new sales
and marketing director of
Gloucester-based Mercury Glazing
Supplies talks to Clearview how
growth in the aluminium market
has boosted company sales.
“The aluminium market is on
the upturn, a trend unlikely to
slow down,” comments Chris.
The specialist frame
manufacturer’s sales of products
have exceeded current trends with
a remarkable increase of more than
50% in the last year. The company’s
aluminium bi-folding door –
used in retail and commercial
applications - has itself achieved a
15% growth in 12 months.
Chris continues: “There
seems to have been a trend for
aluminium over the past few years.

It has come full circle since it died
out in favour of PVCu but now
it is back with commercial and a
lot of new build companies using
aluminium. Many companies, for
example, are specifying it for care
homes and this is currently a big
market for us.”
Mercury is an established
specialist fabricator of aluminium
and PVCu products. It offers
delivery across the UK as well
as an installation service for
commercial contracts in the new
build, public and private sector
markets.
The business started in 2002
and has grown substantially over
the past four or five years to
now employ around 75 people
including its installation teams.

78 » F EB 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

Chris said: “We are continually
investing in products. We set
ourselves up as niche, dealing in
specialist products and we have a
comprehensive range suitable for
both domestic and commercial
applications. That makes us a
one stop shop for installers and
contractors working in all market
sectors.”
He added: “We don’t offer up
a ‘cheap window.’ We produce a
good quality product backed up
by a reliable service - and that’s
why we get repeat business.”
In 2009, Mercury introduced
its aluminium product offer
to complement its vertical
sliders, largely in response to its
vulnerability as a sole product
supplier during the recession.
The company manufactures
the Smart’s range of aluminium
products including casement and
tilt/turn windows, bi-folding
doors, sliding doors, residential
doors, patio doors, commercial
doors, curtain walling and
louvres.
The aluminium range is
manufactured in the company’s
purpose-designed production

facilities in Gloucester enabling
it to maintain exceptional quality
standards.
Mercury has also gradually
increased its vertical slider order
book over the past 13 years
and says many consumers have
appreciated the benefits of PVCu
over traditional timber.
The business is a major
and long-standing supplier of
the Spectus Window Systems
vertical sliding sash window and
is looking to add to its range
with a new flush sash casement
window.
Chris, who has worked in the
industry since 1987, had only
been in his new job at Mercury
for a week when we spoke to
him. He said: “We’re setting up
our strategy for 2016 so we can
get our message across properly
and then we will be out doing
customer and supplier visits. I’m
looking forward to 2016 and
2017. ”
www.mercuryglazing.co.uk