Heywood Williams tackles debt issue

PVC windows, doors and conservatories group Heywood Williams has sold a US pipes subsidiary and made senior management redundancies in a bid to reduce debts from a manufacturing consolidation in 2001.
The move comes after a £78.1m loss last year, selling Coldseal and closing a Huddersfield fabricator.
Last week Heywood sold US firm Bristolpipe and closed its UK human resources department.
New chief executive Robert Barr said: "We now have a stronger balance sheet and no debt.
"If one looks at it over the last three to four years the poor performance was self-inflicted in poor consolidation."
Heywood will now focus on its hardware and plastics businesses. He said the conservatories market is growing, but the market for windows is "plateauing" with a high penetration of PVC windows.