Safestyle UK
Encyclopedia
Safestyle UK is part of the Style Group UK and is a provider of PVCu double glazed window
s, door
s, french doors, patio
and sliding doors in the United Kingdom
.
, West Yorkshire
and the company now has more than 40 branches across the United Kingdom
.
In 1996 the company expanded and set up a new division, Windowstyle, which manufactures Safestyle’s double glazed PVCu windows and doors in Barnsley
, South Yorkshire
. The company has invested more than £6.5 million in Windowstyle to date, including £2.5 million worth of state-of-the-art glass toughening and processing machinery. The facility is set in an 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) site, employs over 600 specialist production staff, runs 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, and produces more than 5,500 frames and 13,500 double glazed sealed units per week. It is also the biggest employer in the area.
In March 2007 the Advertising Standards Authority
upheld a complaint against a Safestyle advertisement which had been broadcast in September 2006. They agreed that the advertisement had been misleading in two respects, both relating to the "Buy now, pay next year" credit terms. The ASA ruled that the advertisement should not be shown again.
The company have had a number of partnerships, particularly in the field of fire safety
, including the Home Office
fire safety campaign and West Yorkshire Fire Service
.
The company have also had several sports partnerships, including Rugby League
team Castleford Tigers
and more recently Leeds United football club, creating a special TV ad for the latter with ex-Chelsea Leeds chairman Ken Bates
.
In 2003 the Sunday Mirror
published a report on Safestyle UK's sales representatives' techniques, saying that "it is almost a badge of honour to rip off a customer".
In 2005 the company was nominated in the national G Awards, which take place annually and are open to all organisations in the glass, glazing and fenestration industries. Safestyle won the G05 Award for Best Promotional Campaign of the Year, following that in 2006 with the G06 Award for Best Customer Care.
Also in 2006, Safestyle UK received Government-backed endorsement in the TrustMark scheme, a scheme also supported by the building industry and consumer groups. TrustMark-endorsed companies must have proven ability to make improvements and repairs inside and outside homes, adhering to high standards of workmanship and customer care.
In 2007, they have continued to win industry awards, winning the G07 Installer of the Year Award, and the G07 Health and Safety Initiative Award at the annual industry G Awards.
Brown did his first "BOGOF" (Buy one get one free) advert in 1999, and is still working with Safestyle today to create new advertisements. As of 2010 Safestyle UK have produced nearly 500 TV and Radio ads, including award-winning TV ads, many starring Jeff, along with Ken Morley
(Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street
), comedy duo Cannon and Ball
, ex-Bucks Fizz
star Cheryl Baker
, as well as "the UK's Biggest Man" Barry Austin
, and papier-mâché
headed comedian-musician Frank Sidebottom
.
In addition to his TV work, Brown also blogs, and makes public appearances throughout the UK publicising the Safestyle brand.
He is also the match announcer for Burnley F.C.
, and has provided half time entertainment for Accrington Stanley F.C.
. He also hosts the lounge for Wigan Warriors
RLFC.
In 2008 Brown released a rap song about his home town of Burnley, to help raise money for Joshua Ford (then aged 9) who had his legs amputated after contracting meningitis
.
In May 2010 Brown was sentenced for dangerous driving and given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after being filmed by another motorist and passenger crossing white lines and driving on the wrong side of the road on the main road between Harrogate and Skipton in the early hours of June 4 2009. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £2,800 costs. He was disqualified from driving for 18 months and must sit an extended re-test before he can get his licence back.
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s, door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
s, french doors, patio
Patio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
and sliding doors in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
Established on 22 December 1992 with £2,000, in 2005 the company installed more than £100 million of replacement windows and doors. Safestyle’s head office is in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
and the company now has more than 40 branches across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In 1996 the company expanded and set up a new division, Windowstyle, which manufactures Safestyle’s double glazed PVCu windows and doors in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
. The company has invested more than £6.5 million in Windowstyle to date, including £2.5 million worth of state-of-the-art glass toughening and processing machinery. The facility is set in an 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) site, employs over 600 specialist production staff, runs 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, and produces more than 5,500 frames and 13,500 double glazed sealed units per week. It is also the biggest employer in the area.
In March 2007 the Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
upheld a complaint against a Safestyle advertisement which had been broadcast in September 2006. They agreed that the advertisement had been misleading in two respects, both relating to the "Buy now, pay next year" credit terms. The ASA ruled that the advertisement should not be shown again.
The company have had a number of partnerships, particularly in the field of fire safety
Fire safety
Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the...
, including the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
fire safety campaign and West Yorkshire Fire Service
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide, statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England...
.
The company have also had several sports partnerships, including Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
and more recently Leeds United football club, creating a special TV ad for the latter with ex-Chelsea Leeds chairman Ken Bates
Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC from 1982 until 2003....
.
In 2003 the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
published a report on Safestyle UK's sales representatives' techniques, saying that "it is almost a badge of honour to rip off a customer".
In 2005 the company was nominated in the national G Awards, which take place annually and are open to all organisations in the glass, glazing and fenestration industries. Safestyle won the G05 Award for Best Promotional Campaign of the Year, following that in 2006 with the G06 Award for Best Customer Care.
Also in 2006, Safestyle UK received Government-backed endorsement in the TrustMark scheme, a scheme also supported by the building industry and consumer groups. TrustMark-endorsed companies must have proven ability to make improvements and repairs inside and outside homes, adhering to high standards of workmanship and customer care.
In 2007, they have continued to win industry awards, winning the G07 Installer of the Year Award, and the G07 Health and Safety Initiative Award at the annual industry G Awards.
Jeff Brown
Jeff Brown, also known as "the Safestyle window man", is known for shouting at customers in the Safestyle windows adverts.Brown did his first "BOGOF" (Buy one get one free) advert in 1999, and is still working with Safestyle today to create new advertisements. As of 2010 Safestyle UK have produced nearly 500 TV and Radio ads, including award-winning TV ads, many starring Jeff, along with Ken Morley
Ken Morley
Ken Morley is an English comedian and actor who is best known for his role as Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street. He played the role from 1989 until quitting the show in 1995...
(Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
), comedy duo Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball are an English comedy double act consisting of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball. The duo met in the early 1960s while working as welders in Oldham, Lancashire...
, ex-Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
star Cheryl Baker
Cheryl Baker
Cheryl Baker is an English television presenter and singer. She is most famous for being a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, and has performed for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, winning it the second time.-Early career:After leaving school and a series of secretarial jobs, Cheryl...
, as well as "the UK's Biggest Man" Barry Austin
Barry Austin
Barry Austin , of Solihull, West Midlands, England is a man widely reputed to be the heaviest man in the United Kingdom.Multiple press reports claim that at his peak weight, he weighed 50 stone ....
, and papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
headed comedian-musician Frank Sidebottom
Frank Sidebottom
Christopher Mark Sievey was an English musician and comedian known for fronting the band The Freshies in the late 1970s and early 1980s and for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom from 1984 onwards....
.
In addition to his TV work, Brown also blogs, and makes public appearances throughout the UK publicising the Safestyle brand.
He is also the match announcer for Burnley F.C.
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, and has provided half time entertainment for Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
. He also hosts the lounge for Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
RLFC.
In 2008 Brown released a rap song about his home town of Burnley, to help raise money for Joshua Ford (then aged 9) who had his legs amputated after contracting meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
.
In May 2010 Brown was sentenced for dangerous driving and given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after being filmed by another motorist and passenger crossing white lines and driving on the wrong side of the road on the main road between Harrogate and Skipton in the early hours of June 4 2009. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £2,800 costs. He was disqualified from driving for 18 months and must sit an extended re-test before he can get his licence back.