Pilkington Increases Prices

Pilkington UK is reportedly imposing huge price increases on its clients - even now as house-builders are struggling to survive. The company, founded in 1826 and part of Nippon Sheet Glass since 2006, has informed clients that glass commonly used in new homes will have a 50% price rise. Pilkington closed one of the lines producing standard glass at its St Helens site in October 2008. The company supplies more than a third of the glass used in UK buildings, and says it is only trying to compensate for previous price reductions. In a letter to customers, Pilkington said: 'Glass manufacture and supply has become uneconomic and the situation cannot be sustained.' According to a spokesman: 'We are losing money, this is a commercial decision.'