Out Of The Woods?...Not Really

In the latest issue of the GGP mag, there is a story about Quotatis, the lead generator, recording a 49% rise in leads at the beginning of the year. The headline is "Out Of The Woods?" I can confidently say that this means absolutely nothing. Consumers in the past 18 months have become more savvy, and are looking into all other sorts of ways of obtaining quotations, especially cheaper ones. The 49% in leads is no doubt a result of the consumer looking into different ways of obtaining quotes, not the industry making a strong recovery. Not wanting to dampen the positive mood or anything, but the industry is still likcing it's wounds from the recession. And what is not out of the question is a double-dip recession. It is quite conceivable that the UK could slip back into recession. And if that happens, consumer confidence will hit rock bottom again.

Businesses are still going bust in our sector, margins are still lower than a few years ago, cash flow is still poor for many small businesses. There are still lots of issues for the double glazing industry to put right before we can say we are out of the woods. The imminent danger of chaos during 2009 has passed, but 2010 I think is a year where we will still be balancing on the edge of the knife.