NEARLY 400 jobs were axed in East Anglia today after a major home improvements company went into administration. David Thurgood and Malcolm Shierson of chartered accountants Grant Thornton were appointed joint administrators at Bowater Home Improvements Ltd - one of the UK's leading manufacturers of double glazed replacement windows and doors- at the invitation of its directors.

NEARLY 400 jobs were axed in East Anglia today after a major home improvements company went into administration.

David Thurgood and Malcolm Shierson of chartered accountants Grant Thornton were appointed joint administrators at Bowater Home Improvements Ltd - one of the UK's leading manufacturers of double glazed replacement windows and doors- at the invitation of its directors.

The company, which operates under the Staybrite and Zenith brands and also installs flat roofs, roof line products, driveways and conservatories, operates through a network of 60 sales branches and 12 installation centres, mainly across the southern half of England.

The Staybrite and Zenith brands, together with 30 sales centres,three divisional offices and six installation centres, have been acquired from the administrators by the Weatherseal Group - another of the UK's market leaders in the sector - preserving 150 jobs.

But the remaining sales branches and installation centres, together with Bowater's factory and head office in Norwich, have been closed with the loss of around 390 jobs.

David Thurgood of Grant Thornton said yesterday: “This sector is characterised by intense competition and a fall off in orders as household incomes have come under pressure. Unfortunately a reconstruction outside of insolvency has proven impossible to achieve.”

In recent times, Bowater Home Improvements has completed installations in some 15,000 homes each year, generating in the region of £70 million in sales per annum.