After staff began to make posts on LinkedIn last week about the closure of Dempsey Dyer, the company has today confirmed via its website and social channels that today will be their last day of trading and will close for good at the end of the day.

Around this time last week staff began to post on the social media site that they were out of work and needed to find new employment after they learned that the company was to close on the 29th of November after 47 years in business.

This will be a difficult day for the staff and Directors at the business. Nearly five decades in the UK fenestration sector is a very long time. Our industry is not known for its longevity, so 47 years is a legitimate heritage in our line of work.

As we all know, trading conditions this year have been tough, with the first 6 months of this year being particularly difficult, with what felt like an endless stream of businesses across our supply chain going under. After a brief lull during the summer months, that conveyor belt of distressed companies seems to have restarted, with the future of a number of well-known brands under question.

This was the message posted to the Dempsey Dyer LinkedIn account this morning:

A notice now heads the top of their website with the same message.

I sincerely hope that all staff and Directors at the company are able to find new employment as swiftly as possible and can begin a new positive chapter in their careers.

As for the industry, I think we are going to have to prepare ourselves for a higher rate of exits than we would like, be it forced or by choice. Things are very difficult out there right now, far more challenging than our industry will talk about in public. December, January and February are our quiet months, it could be a tough time for many.

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