Early signs from Grange’s drivers and stockists suggest the St Jude storm was not “even in the same league” as the 2007 and 1987 storms.
Widespread pre-storm warnings predicting wind gusts of more than 70mph raised the prospect of a sudden spike in demand for fencing products and a possible surge in manufacturers’ timber orders as people sought to replace broken posts and panels.
DIY retailers embarked on a post-storm marketing blitz, with Wickes emailing customers offering bulk deals on fence panels, posts and supports.
“I know it’s early days, but it’s been like any other Monday morning,” said Grange’s managing director Duncan Hill.
“I asked myself – do I order 500 truck loads of timber before anyone else does? But I didn’t. It will keep our cash till a bit busier between now and Christmas but we are not booking flights to timber suppliers to buy all their extra capacity.”
Mr Hill said a little bit of extra timber has been ordered and Grange would probably work extra overtime in the coming weeks.
“When the wind gets over 50mph, every extra 10mph is really important. If a fence post is sound it will withstand 60-70mph winds. Unless you get regular gusts of 80-90mph and up to 100mph it is not really exciting the fencing industry.”
In 1987, Grange rationed fence panels to customers but it has no such plans this time around. “We have contingency plans for when the wind blows. We are going into the winter with large stocks.”
