Derbyshire roofing firm celebrates record year
Permaroof, the Alfreton importer and distributor of Firestone RubberCover, says it will complete the most successful year in its 20-year history, after taking advantage of the boom in home improvements during 2020.
The news follows several record months including an 26% increase in year-on-year sales in May and an 86% increase in June.
Adrian Buttress, managing director of Permaroof and the wider Permagroup, said: “For the construction industry, the show must go on – so although I think 2021 will be a turbulent year, I believe we’ll all be better prepared and in a stronger position. I would like to think that by the end of first quarter, businesses will be feeling the benefits of change after rolling out their newly formulated plans and strategies.
“I think Brexit and the pandemic will have acted almost like a coiled spring for our sector. Once something as close to normality resumes, I think we are in for a large boom of business.”
Buttress attributes the success of the past year to a fast response to Covid-19, investment in an already solid team and diversification into new services and products. His advice to others in the sector is to keep on learning and adapting whilst taking as many lessons as possible from the challenges faced in 2020.
He added: “We had to rewrite our business plans, raise funds for the unknown and rework all our numbers while adapting the business to ensure it was Covid-secure for the Permaroof team and its customers.
“We’ve seen the sector working in new ways, which is fantastic. For example, speaking to customers and placing orders through Zoom was unthinkable before – but it works. It means that the team is saving around 60 hours of travel time per week. This can now be channeled into supporting customers; not to mention meaning a carbon reduction. I’d love to think that these more efficient ways of working will continue as well as the sector seizing other opportunities to grow and learn from this terrible year.”
