(PRWEB) December 20, 2005 -- Anglian Windows has been struggling in the face of a slump in consumer demand and a slowdown in the housing market and has announced that it will be moving out of its Horsford Manor headquarters as part of a restructuring plan designed to make the business more competitive.
“ We have been scaling it back for the past three or four years and we decided to close it. ”
And it has embarked on a series of measures to drive down costs, improve efficiency and increase sales, which the company says are starting to bear fruit.
Figures published today show that Anglian's parent company, Naiglan Holdings, reported an operating loss of £485,000 for the year to the end of April 2, 2005, compared with a profit of £19.4m a year earlier. When interest charges were added in, Naiglan reported a pre-tax loss of £12.5m compared with a profit of £3m the year before.
Turnover also fell, down to £277m from £311m in the previous period, as fragile consumer confidence hit sales of conservatories and windows.
As part of the restructuring plan Anglian has decided to close down its loss-making kitchens business. The division, called Living Design, was based in Scotland and sold kitchens through a network of agents.
David Rimmer, Anglian's deputy executive chairman, said it had been losing money for a number of years. "It was acquired in 1994 and to be honest it had been struggling for some time," he said. "We have been scaling it back for the past three or four years and we decided to close it."
Anglian has also shut its manufacturing plant in Port Talbot in South Wales, which manufactured windows for the commercial market. Production was moved to the company's Rochdale site.
Mr Rimmer, who is running Anglian while chief executive Larry Condon recovers from an operation, said shutting the factory was designed to match production capacity with demand.
"The closure of Port Talbot means we have the right production capability going forward," he said. "We do not see sales recovering this year as the market is still very tough, but we have the flexibility to step up if that occurs."
In Norwich, Anglian is moving its senior management team out of Horsford Manor to the company's main factory site in Anson Road.
Horsford Manor itself is being put up for sale, but the company's social club and sports facilities will be unaffected and are not part of the sale.
Mr Rimmer said the move would save money but, more importantly, bring the senior managers closer to staff and make it easier to share ideas.
"Anglian has more than 20 buildings in Norwich alone which isn't very efficient," he said. "Our reorganisation is about bringing people together so they can work more closely and more productively."
