Clearview National January 2015 - Issue 158 | Page 9

INDUSTRYNEWS

Installers get to have their say
Installers are overwhelmingly positive about 2015 but have
failed to see the benefit of recent legislation changes.
»»These are the headline
findings from the annual Consumer
Protection Association installer barometer.
The CPA commissioned Insight Data
to carry out the extensive report, which
asked more than 12,000 installers a series of
questions related to business performance
and expectations for the years ahead.
The barometer compares business
performance between 2013 and 2014 and
also asks installers whether they think sales
and profits will increase or decrease in
2015.
When polled about how business
performance in 2014 is comparing with
2013, 59.38% said that profit margins had
increased, compared to 6.25% who said they
had decreased.
The amount of work available also appears
to be increasing, with 51.56% saying that
the number of leads they had received had
increased in 2014, compared to 2013; against
4.69% who said they had decreased.

Looking forward sentiment is very positive;
with 71.88% saying they expect sales to
increase in 2015; with 28.13% saying they
will stay about the same and a revealing 0.00%
saying they would reduce.
Despite the majority of respondents
expecting sales to increase, 62.50% don’t
expect the number of staff they employ to
increase, suggesting a desire to keep overheads
tight and focus on profits.
Those polled were also positive about the
industry and UK economy in general, with
53.13% saying that they expect further growth
across the industry and 54.69% saying they
expected the state of the UK economy to
improve going forward.
The much maligned construction industry
was also a source of optimism, with 51.56%
saying they expected the number of major
construction projects to increase.
But despite the positivity about the future
of the industry and the UK economy, a high
number of installers – 60.94% - believe that

recent legislation changes, such as making
IBGs mandatory, were not necessary.
Jeremy Brett, Director at the CPA,
comments: “Going forward there is clearly
energy and optimism across the industry and
the bulk of installers are positive about how
their businesses will perform and the future of
the UK economy.
“The report is extensive and gives installers
the opportunity to have their say and share their
frustrations and views on their business and the
industry as a whole. It’s vital that installers have
a voice and platform such as this.”
The report is carried out every year by the
Consumer Protection Association and is the
only barometer focused entirely on installers.
The CPA is the UK’s leading provider of
Insurance Backed Guarantees (IBGs) and
has been in business for over twenty years.
As well as providing guarantees and deposit
protection, the CPA also offer marketing
support; quarterly assessments;