Q3 2020

EU BUSINESS NEWS / Q3 2020 15 , According to Doormatic Garage Doors, lockdown has seen a dramatic increase in homeowners locking it downwith new garage doors. Booming Business Business is booming in the home improvement market and with people working from home more than ever in 2020, the garage door industry is riding the new wave. Google Trends, which ranks the popularity of searches people make online, shows that the term ‘garage doors’ doubled in terms of searches when compared with 2019 levels. So what is it exactly about life during a pandemic which is driving such interest? The Lockdown Boom Lockdown has seen more people being allowed to work from home than ever before. With this, people are taking aim at all those projects which they previously didn’t have time for when juggling a 9-5 job. A new garage door might usually require time off work, putting people off the idea, but the new working life means they can carry on with their job and let the professionals carry out the work at any time. Why is the garage so popular? Usually reserved for storage, lockdown restrictions have meant more people seeking out hobbies at home, something a garage space with a properly insulated garage door can provide. Whether it’s woodworking, mechanics, exercising or general recreational space, no one wants to be in a garage with a creaky, old and unsecured garage door in place. Increased time at home also means that people want their home to look and feel at its best, and while a garage door is usually something you see outside, a sense of completion for a property as a whole is something people stuck at home will want - your home is your castle, after all. Marc Sebo, owner of Guildford- based garage door company Doormatic Garage Doors, said that they’ve seen a 40% increase in business since April due to Lockdown: “We’ve been incredibly lucky during the pandemic, with people spending more time at home and spending money on improvements.” He went on to describe how it has impacted staff levels, saying “We’ve ordered a number of new vehicles and employed three more fitting staff. We’re also in the process of employing additional office and sales staff to help meet demand.” But how do things look going forward? Marc Sebo is cautiously optimistic. “The prediction is that more people will continue to work from home so we think we’ll have a big growth in our business as well as home improvements in general.”