Shopfitter and equipment manufacturer The Sloane Group is in line for its best ever December, according to marketing director Jim Shields.
'We'll do somewhere over£5 million this month, which will be a record for us. Things have kicked in big-style,' said Shields. He added that November had also been close to being a record for the company, with work including fit-outs for Orange, Tesco and Sainsbury's.
But he cautioned: 'The work's there, but getting it is hard. There's a lot of competition. We're also starting to see international players appear on tenders, and e-auctions are becoming increasingly common as well, which means more competition.'
Shields' observations struck a chord with Jeff Kindleyside, managing director of design consultancy Checkland Kindleyside.
He said: 'It (business) is looking really quite good. It's been slow during the year, but things are looking active. Our manufacturing capacity is absolutely stacked out.'
The Sloane Group acquired retail shelving manufacturer Eden Industries in September and is in the process of integrating Eden with its operations.
Many shopfitters and design consultancies are sounding a positive note as 2003 draws to an end. This comes against a background of mixed fortunes earlier in the year.
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