At the end of October 2023, we read the shocking and unexpected news that Bradford-based window and door manufacturer Safestyle (the trading name of HPAS Ltd) had gone into administration.
This came as a surprise, as no official reason has been given for the collapse beforehand, and Safestyle is one of the country’s largest national doors and windows businesses, with over 42 branches and depots throughout the UK. On the face of it, Safestyle was a large and prosperous business.
The company’s official announcement said that it intended to appoint administrators after failing to find a buyer, and recently the company had faced a range of economic pressures, including price pressure due to inflation, and poor consumer confidence.
It’s never good news when a company goes out of business like this, and our best wishes go out to Safestyle’s employees, nearly 700 of whom found themselves out of a job before Christmas, as well as the self-employed contractors, suppliers, and installation teams that worked for the business.
The collapse has, unfortunately, also had implications for Safestyle’s customers, and we’ve already heard about many people who have had an installation booked but have subsequently lost their deposit – sometimes hundreds or even thousands of pounds in value. Safestyle appear to have been making sales and arranging installations right up to the day that they went into administration, without any customer being aware of this.
Safestyle customer? What to do if your order has been affected
If your window or door installation has been affected by the collapse of Safestyle, you may be able to recover some or all of your deposit if you took out deposit insurance. You could also contact the administrators directly at Interpath Advisory, and request confirmation of whether or not your purchase will be honoured, or your deposit returned.
On 17th November, the administrators signed a deal with Anglian Home Improvements for the sale of Safestyle’s physical assets and order book. Under the contract, any customer impacted by the collapse should have the opportunity to have their project fulfilled under the same terms by Anglian. We can’t confirm the process for this, but a representative from Anglian should make the first move by getting in touch with you. If you haven’t heard anything, it might be worth following it up personally.
However, if you can’t reach a positive conclusion on your purchase for whatever reason, please call us. We are happy to discuss continuing to install any products or windows that were left uncompleted by the Safestyle team.
One of the unfortunate things that the Safestyle insolvency illustrates is that bigger is not always better when it comes to your home’s double glazing, new doors, or conservatory. One of the reasons that Safestyle was a trusted national name is because of the perception that established national companies are more stable and more reliable than local businesses. This isn’t always true. Often it is the more local businesses, with fewer overheads and cash flow vulnerabilities that could precipitate a sudden collapse, that are the safer bet when purchasing new improvements for your home. And if a local business does go into insolvency, customers are often protected by insurance protection plans that underwrite the purchase, warranties, and ongoing maintenance plans for the full warranty term.
Next steps
At Harveys we have by no means been immune to the pressures facing other businesses in the home improvement sector. 2023 hasn’t been an easy year for the business in many ways, and we are very aware of the financial pressures faced by many of our customers. However, with a strong team, an effective business model, and a good local customer base in the Leicester and Leicestershire areas, we are quietly confident as we look forward to the coming New Year. If you would like to find out more about our products and services, please get in touch with us directly by clicking here.