About Southern Counties Glass
Southern Counties Glass started life in Crawley as part of the former Southern Counties Garages in Ifield Road in the 1930's. Car windscreens were then cut from sheet glass and, with Crawley being designated as one of the satellite towns under the Atlee governments New Towns Act, there was an opportunity to move into general glass and glazing with the huge post war building boom. The business became a Limited Company in 1952 and moved its location to West Street in Crawley. In the 1960's it moved to larger premises in East Park, Crawley.
Over the years the family-owned business has acquired a lasting reputation for good quality, reliability and excellent customer service. Continuing its skills in all types of glazing and glass processing, it was an early entrant into the UPVC window, conservatory and door market, but avoided the door step and pressure selling of many of its competitors, believing that a potential customer required from Southern Counties a full understanding of their requirements, a quotation for a product and service that was of a high standard and competitive, and time to assess and decide over time the details in writing before making an order. This approach to the customer needs has been proven over many years to be the best and has made Southern Counties the envy of others.
The business expanded further in the mid 1980's into Horsham with the acquisition of a competitor in Springfield Road. In 2003 it relocated and consolidated its business activities into larger premises in Foundry Close, Horsham, the current centre for its administration, sales, showroom, workshops and manufacturing activities.
Apart from its wide range of glazing services and quality products, why has Southern Counties been trading continuously for 60 years and many more to come? It's Executive and major shareholder, Neil Donald, explains " our good reputation results from longevity and experience, principally in the many years of knowledge accumulated in the business by our staff. Our Managing Director, Derek Churchill started in the business as an apprentice in 1984 and many of his working colleagues have been in our business for twenty five years and longer. As much as it is important to provide our customers with a fair deal, it is important to treat ones staff fairly and give commitment to them, this in turn is reflected in the commitment they show to our customers, ensuring their satisfaction, irrespective of the type or size of the works undertaken for them"
Neil continues "it is a source of frustration at times to come across competitors offering poor quality products and guarantees of up to 10 years or more, particularly where you discover that they may have only been trading for two or three years". Our long and continuous trading history gives our guarantees real meaning and comfort to our customers. Similarly we find some competitors have one primary goal – getting full payment from the customer. With some works, there will always be a need for minor adjustments, for example, to windows and doors four or five months after installation. We find many of our competitors fail to bother with these requests; while we will always follow-up and address our own customers' requests, we have no option but to charge other suppliers customers' for rectification works.
Southern Counties glass celebrates 60 years of continuous trading in 2012. It has become a specialist in many non-standard glazing products, including splashbacks (in effect painted toughened glass cut to fit apertures in kitchens, shower rooms, in fact any application where tiling would otherwise be used), glass balustrades, swimming pool surrounds, integral sealed units with venetian blinds, shower screens, leaded lights, glass worktops and many others. There's nothing old fashioned about us apart perhaps from giving respect and courtesy to our customers and giving them a straightforward, honest and professional service.
