Safestyle files legal claim against competitor

Window retailer and manufacturer Safestyle has announced it is seeking damages and injunctive relief from a competitor, a move which comes just weeks after it issued a stark profit warning blaming declining consumer confidence and an “aggressive new market entrant”.

Bradford-headquartered Safestyle UK has filed the action against NIAMAC Developments, which has been trading as Safeglaze UK, as well as a number of named individuals.

The claim is made in the Business and Property Courts of England & Wales, on the Intellectual Property list.

The claim asked the court to determine whether Safestyle was entitled to injunctive relief and damages from what the group considers to be passing off, the misuse of confidential information, unlawful means conspiracy and malicious falsehood.

Safestyle is also applying for urgent interim relief, pending the trial of this matter.

“Safestyle, the leading retailer and manufacturer of uPVC replacement windows and doors to the UK homeowner market, has invested heavily in building its leading market position over many years.

“The group welcomes healthy competition in the market, but is committed to protecting its brand, its reputation, and its staff, ” said Safestyle.

A further announcement will be made in due course, the company added.

In April, Safestyle issued a stark profit warning caused by a weak order intake.

At the time, Safestyle said: “This was exacerbated by the activities of an aggressive new market entrant and it was noted that this competitor’s actions were impacting the Group in certain areas of its operations, particularly in relation to its Sales and Canvass divisions. As a result, the group’s order intake in 2018 to date had been weak and its market share was under pressure.

“The board reports that, since then, the activities of this competitor have intensified and the group has taken longer to rebuild its order intake to the rate previously anticipated and has also experienced cost increases as management takes the necessary actions to address these challenges.”

This month, the firm announced that Mike Gallacher will succeed Steve Birmingham, who will leave the company at the end of 2018, as group chief executive.

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