THE boss of a window and door installation company is looking forward to the future after a bumpy lockdown.

TWC Home Improvements managing director Andy Hill is getting a new showroom ready to open later this year after buying an enormous building facing the Elgin Drive roundabout.

The impressive facility used to be home to Blade Motor Group and Andy estimates that he’s spent up to £100,000 on the site.

This big purchase comes at the end of a tricky 18 months which forced his team to adapt to a new way of working that paid dividends when sales surged by 30 per cent despite the pandemic.

Mr Hill said: “Covid hit every business hard but the ones that survived or bounced back stronger were the ones that adapted well.

“All the window companies were struggling with all sorts of issues and some even went bust, but we created a way of setting up quotes and viewings online which enabled us to have more business than in 2019.

"In the first five weeks of lockdown, we had more quotations than in the previous 12. It made me realise people were still interested in home improvement.

"Maybe while they were indoors longer, they started noticing a drafty window or a door that needed changing, and instead of spending money on holidays, they spent it on fixing up their home."

The biggest change to this business is one that will keep going long after the pandemic ends.

Andy added: “This year and a half has been a rollercoaster. We changed the way we did things, arranging Zoom calls instead of having a salesman come to people’s houses.

"This saved money on fuel and the time spent driving back and forth, and we could look up information while chatting to the customer.

"The customer felt less pressure about the sale - if they didn't like what they saw, they could just hang up or close their laptop. It’s something we’ll continue with even as our face-to-face viewings return because people seem to like it."

The new showroom should be ready to open its doors in September.

Mr Hill added: “The opportunity arose to have the first proper conservatory showroom in this area, which is something I’ve been desperate to do for a while, but it’s difficult to organise.

“Luckily, the right place came up at the right time and it all clicked together - it’s an ideal size and is in a good spot to show off what we have, you can’t miss it, and it’s in a place everyone knows.

“We still have a lot to set up in there - seven conservatories, a huge window display and the biggest door showroom in this part of the country.

"Maybe it seems mad to set this up during a pandemic but it's about having a strong foundation and cementing our location in Swindon. It's the same reason we kept advertising while others stopped to save money - we wanted to keep our brand out there as a show of strength. Now we want to expand and recruit, keep growing."