A boss of windows firm Velux, which has its UK headquarters in Fife, said the company has huge growth opportunities.
The business employs more than 200 staff at Woodside Way in Glenrothes.
It is 70 years this week since Velux entered the UK market. Initially the Danish company’s UK arm was established in London, but it moved to Glenrothes in 1972.
Manufacturing in Fife stopped in 2015 – which at the time saw around 180 job losses – but the company continues to run its UK operations and customer support functions from Fife.
Accounts for Velux Company Ltd filed at Companies House show strong growth of the UK business in recent years.
Sales have risen from £167.2 million in 2019 to £194.7m in 2022, when pre-tax profits were £7.9m.
Tough conditions but sparkling future for Velux in Fife
Alex O’dell, Velux vice president for Great Britain and Ireland, said conditions last year were tougher but he sees a bright future ahead.
He said: “We saw a big sales increase post-pandemic. At that time a lot of people were working from home and a lot of people wanting to improve their living space.
“We’ve seen this trend continue in terms of more people working from home or hybrid working and needing a better workspace.
“More recently, the economy has been quite challenging. The higher mortgage rates and people not moving home as much means the climate has been more challenging.
“But we absolutely believe we will continue to grow, so we are recruiting more people in Glenrothes to drive and support the business.”
The company spent £7m on an expansion to its Glenrothes offices, which was completed just before the first lockdown in 2020.
The Fife staff provide customer support and process orders from merchants.
The site also has a showroom for people to see products in person and a training academy for installers.
Innovation key to growth
From Fife, Velux also launched a free advisory service last year. Homeowners who supply photos and a few other details about a room in their property receive visualisations of how new windows would look.
Mr O’dell said the company was innovating with new products and services.
He said: “The advisory service is really helpful for bringing a project to life. We want to help customers get information, inspiration and then we’ll help connect them to installers as well.
“We are now selling a lot of solar operated or electrically operated windows that can be controlled with an app. These also have a sensor, so that when it rains it shuts automatically.
“Another growing trend is for exterior shutters or blinds on windows, which can reduce the temperature by four or five degrees.
“We have another product called a sun tunnel, which can channel sunlight into an internal room.
“Sustainability is another big focus. We’re really working hard on that now to make our products with lower carbon emissions, with the aluminium or steel in our products made from recycled materials.”
Housebuilders and people looking to add to their living space through loft conversions or extensions remains the largest chunk of sales.
Celebrating 70 year milestone
All Velux GB & Ireland employees will gather in Glenrothes today for a full-day conference, followed by an evening celebration in Edinburgh.
Mr O’dell adds: “We are very, very proud of what Velux has achieved in the UK in the last 70 years by some brilliant colleagues – some of whom have seen multiple generations work here.
“Velux is committed to being in Fife.
“We will talk about where the company has come from but we’re a business that’s looking to the future and how we’re going to sort of grow and invest in the market.”
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