Steady and stable and being in control are the secrets of continued success for Coral Windows, which this autumn will celebrate 30 years in the glazing trade.
The Bradford-based business has enjoyed continued growth, beating two recessions, and is in the process of opening a fifth showroom in Sheffield.
After leaving school, managing director John Valente, 58, worked behind the counter selling cameras in Dixons but a friend encouraged a move into the double-glazing trade, saying it offered good prospects.
John said: “At the time UPVC was just starting. Traditionally, window frames were made from wood or aluminium. Maintenance-free UPVC had just arrived, which did not rot, or warp. It was so innovative.”
“Something new came along. Nobody wanted to paint their windows anymore. It got me interested as it was new innovation.”
Some years later, John thought the industry needed innovating, becoming a bit more customer focussed, installing direct, rather than selling through retail outlets.
At the time customers would typically pay a 20-30 per cent deposit before work would start, whereas Coral Windows allows customers to pay when they are satisfied with a job well done.
With a workforce of four, John invested into creating a new business, Coral Widows, which started out at Perseverance Mill in Wibsey.
Having its own factory, the company enjoyed solid growth and after just two years Coral Windows moved to a former mill on Halifax Road, which has been its main home ever since.
Coral Mill, as the company calls it, is a well-known landmark looking out over the Bradford skyline, acting as head office, manufacturing plant and large window, door and conservatory showroom.
Over the years, Coral Windows has grown strongly and steadily to become Yorkshire’s premiere window company, with it now also having showrooms in Huddersfield, Wakefield and Leeds.
Such growth is credited on Coral Windows being unique in developing, designing and manufacturing all its doors, windows and conservatories at its Bradford site.
This allows the company to focus on quality and the very latest innovations and technology, giving customers secure, great-looking and energy efficient products for their homes.
John also highlights Coral Windows as the only company to work with West Yorkshire Police on crime prevention and security on new PVC windows and doors.
“This entailed months of significant work and testing products to make them as secure as possible for potential buyers.”
Coral Windows received special BBA and other certification and soon became Which recommended.
The company developed a close partnership with the police, in a move which saw 80 Bradford division vehicles bear Coral Windows branding to highlight the relationship and the industry certification received.
John continued: “A further difference is our management is very hands on. I visit jobs myself. I visit installations and meet customers. Everyone is involved with the job.”
“We are very much into feedback. That feedback is very important. The close-knit way the job is installed. A manager will call to see if to see if it’s right. Any odd problem goes through a manager, a director, even to me. National companies don’t do that.”
“I think it’s our extra bit of care. It seems like a sales pitch but we have good fitters, good admin, no high pressure selling. We never knock on doors and don’t cold call. Every customer inquiry is from a press, radio or tv ad. They have approached us.
“This has kept us growing for 30 years and we keep the business in control. A lot of glazing businesses start off, then they fly and crash to the ground, going bust and changing their name.
“Instead, we have had slow growth, progressive growth. I have no intention of becoming a massive national. That’s when you lose control. You cannot be everywhere in the UK. We have been 30 years without being insolvent or starting up again under another name. That is quite an achievement in the glazing industry.”
This means the company scores highly on UK Trustpilot and other customer rating websites. It is also a Check-a-Trade trader and highly respected in the industry.
Coral Windows has been a customer of Wiltshire-based windows and plastic extrusion supplies company Deceuninck since 2003, buying its plastic frames to use in windows.
Customer service and marketing manager Carol Hearn says Deceuninck has a great relationship with Coral Windows and has constant meetings with its top-level management who place the orders.
Carol said: “They are very approachable people. Their attention to detail is second-to-none. You see this throughout the company. It’s inherent in the staff who work there.
“They are very retail focussed. We know they have a really good reputation in the area, they have an excellent reputation. They are well-known for their customer service and installation.
The companies also work closely together to ensure supplies never run short.
Carol added: “They are all very on top of everything.”
Such methods have seen staff numbers increase to 100 direct staff and a further 100 contractors or other ‘indirect’ staff, including builders.
John said: “A lot of staff have been here 20 years. We don’t have a high turnover. That keeps the continuity of what we want to give to the public.”
John also praises fellow director Margaret Oates, who has been with the company 13 years, after arriving from a large retail company.
“A lot of knowledge came with Maggie. She implemented a lot of systems and controls to help the company progress. Her main principles are like mine, keeping in touch with the customers and giving them our best possible service.
“Maggie has been a fantastic help and is a key player in the operations of the company. She brought in a lot of systems in place that helped us keep an eye on things.”
Now, with a multi-million pound a year turnover, Coral Windows offers a wide range of orangeries, conservatories and glazed extensions. Some 600-700 orangeries are installed each year, a ‘nice steady’ increase of 5 per cent a year.
“We are definitely making profit each year. Enough to put back into and develop the business. “
And with Coral Windows turning 30, John looks back at an industry that has massively evolved.
“It is still UPVC but we have a range of colours and different types. It is no longer white timber looking. There is a lot of innovation. People are moving away from white to go to colour. Fifty years ago, people went to white. It’s gone full circle.”
And in production, the company has responded by spending more in machinery to ensure a first-class product, including how it is checked and installed.
There is also much more recycling in the industry, with UPVC being able to be recycled into accessories. UPVC is also very environmentally-friendly for the decades length of time the windows will last.
However, John says for installers and manufacturers, attracting staff can be a challenge.
“Twenty-thirty years ago, people wanted to be joiners. Then it all went into IT. Everyone is going into IT. To develop, we do need to get younger, fresher blood into this industry. We have no problem getting IT staff, we have just taken on an apprentice.”
And, Brexit might present a further challenge, when the transition phase ends this year. Coral Windows imports little from China, with most of its imported raw materials coming from Belgium and Germany.
John added: “We did stock up during the Brexit issue as there was concern a ‘No Deal’ could cause supply issues. I expect we will stock up again this year.”
