Despite the difficult market conditions, the English subsidiary of German window profile manufacturer Veka (Sendenhorst; www.veka.de) at the beginning of June acquired Bowater Building Projects (Sutton Coldfield / UK; www.bowaterbuildingproducts.com), one of its leading UK competitors producing the “WHS Halo” brand. Commenting on the deal, Veka CEO Andreas Hartleif said the acquisition confirmed Veka’s long-term commitment to the UK, one of Europe’s leading window markets. Dave Jones, managing director of Veka plc (Burnely / UK), added: “Not only can we offer customers the stability of buying from a company which is still family owned, but our acquisition of Bowater Building Products sends out a clear message to the market that Veka is here to stay within the UK and we will continue to invest in the future.”

2011 marks 25 years since Veka first entered the UK market. The profile producer said that in the wake of the Bowater acquisition – which it called a “long-term investment” – the company would implement a strategic review of its UK facilities. For the time being, each brand will continue to trade under its own brand name and retain its own identity and product range. The pooling of both companies’ resources will bring into being one of Europe’s largest window profile players.