Intelligence
INTELLIGENCE +VOX: Households weigh boilers against bi fold doors as glazing sector leans on design and data
Households worldwide are continuing to juggle strained budgets between unavoidable bills and big ticket discretionary spending such as holidays, cars and home improvements, forcing UK window and door retailers to sharpen their pitch to homeowners.
Home improvement sits awkwardly between necessity and aspiration. On one side are emergency outlays for broken boilers, leaking roofs or failed locks and smashed panes. On the other are projects that are less about fixing and more about upgrading, competing directly with new kitchens, bathrooms or loft conversions for a finite pot of disposable income.
Retail glazing businesses are increasingly dissecting their order books to understand how those tensions play out. One installation company operating across south-east England said that roughly 40–50 per cent of its sales in 2024 were “pure improvement” projects, including glazed extensions that expand living space rather than simply restore it. A further 25–30 per cent were driven primarily by energy efficiency, while the remaining 20 per cent were “distress” purchases prompted by failures such as broken locks, fogged or cracked units and faulty mechanisms.
That breakdown highlights how much of the sector’s growth now depends on persuading homeowners to prioritise windows and doors over rival home upgrades. Installers say the battle for aspirational spend is being won where companies frame new glazing less as a functional repair and more as a design and lifestyle choice that also cuts energy bills.
In 2025, UK consumers have shown a marked preference for slim sightlines that maximise natural light, bolder frame and door colours, improved thermal performance and smart locking systems. Retailers that foreground those features in showrooms and online sales journeys report that they are better able to defend margins and close orders without resorting to heavy discounting, despite pressure on household finances.
Innovation in fenestration has become central to that story. The UK market now offers some of the most technically advanced window and door systems in Europe, according to installers, combining higher performance with more contemporary aesthetics. For Shireland Windows and Doors, an installation business based in Birmingham, the product range has been in near-constant flux.
“We are blessed with some very forward-thinking suppliers,” a company spokesperson said. “Over the last 12 months we have introduced flush sash PVC-U windows, slim profiled aluminium windows, high performance composite fire doors and slim roof lanterns that maximise light flow into extensions. Alongside these products we are seeing strong demand for bi fold doors, while wide span sliding doors are returning to many homes.”
Energy efficiency underpins much of that demand. Triple glazing, once considered a niche upgrade in the UK’s relatively mild climate, is generating a growing share of enquiries, the company added. Shireland is also investing in smart locking, with plans for a stronger marketing push in 2026 now that it is confident in the reliability of the systems on offer.
Artificial intelligence is emerging as another faultline between businesses that adapt quickly and those that risk being left behind. For some owners, the penny has yet to drop; others complain that new tools are overwhelming staff. Many in the middle are experimenting with hybrid approaches that retain a human-led sales process but automate more of the back office.
In retail glazing, the initial consultation with homeowners and the final negotiation over specification and price remain firmly in the hands of sales professionals. Behind the scenes, however, AI-driven systems are increasingly being used to prepare quotes, analyse finances, create marketing assets, respond to first-line enquiries and mine customer data for cross-selling opportunities.
Manufacturers stand to gain further productivity improvements as AI tools are embedded more deeply into ordering systems, scheduling, quality control and factory operations. Industry executives expect 2026 to bring broader adoption of such technologies to drive efficiency and reduce errors, particularly among medium-sized producers facing higher input costs and a tight labour market.
The coming year is still expected to be challenging for the glass and glazing trade, with subdued consumer confidence and elevated borrowing costs weighing on big ticket spending. But installers and manufacturers that align themselves with design-led products, energy efficiency and intelligent deployment of AI are cautiously optimistic that they can sustain acceptable and profitable levels of business through 2026, even as households continue to measure every new window against a rival holiday or kitchen refit.
