2015 may not have produced a sizzling summer in terms of sustained sunshine, but the season undoubtedly provided a welcome boost for Britain’s pool and spa businesses.
The early onset of this summer put a spring in the step of many water treatment suppliers who enjoyed a busy start to the season. Service and maintenance businesses in the residential pool sector were hard pressed to cope with demand and pool companies say they are delighted with numbers of new build enquiries.
“In comparison to previous years, this summer has seen a significant increase in business,” comments Robert Passingham of Cheshire Wellness.
“The residential industry is steadily regaining momentum; new builds and refurbishments especially but there has also been a lot of interest in our GPR tiled spas and swim spas,” says Robert.
He adds: “With the increase in projects over the summer months, we expect this to continue into the winter and into 2016.”
Graham Hounslow of Hampshire-based Aqueous Pools agrees: “Our season was as busy as ever, even though the weather was slightly erratic. “We thought that we had a bumper season last year with several refurbishments and new builds, but we are on course for exceeding those figures this year, especially with the increasing numbers of new customers that we are attracting.”
Looking ahead, weather experts are warning of a bitterly cold winter, followed by a record-breaking hot summer in 2016. Meteorologists believe the dramatic rainfall and gales across the country last month may have signaled the start of the most powerful El Nino since 1950. It is thought the phenomenon – which occurs when temperatures rise in the eastern Pacific, causing major climate changes across the world – will likely bring harsh winter conditions to our shores. Research shows that El Nino is also expected to combine with greenhouse gases to push global temperatures to record highs within the next two years.
The impact of both scenarios could be a win-win situation for the UK’s residential pool and spa market; bad weather equates to more repair work, while hot weather will guarantee increased sales.
With this in mind, pool and spa companies must to be prepared to be flexible in their approach to the residential market, in order to reap maximum rewards.
Graham adds: “We already have a considerable amount of work diarised for the autumn and winter. Our existing customers provide us with regular maintenance work throughout the summer, which inevitably leads to refurbishment and repairs during the winter months.” “If our current trend in sales continues then next year shall be even better for Aqueous Pools.”
