According to last year’s NHBC Annual New Home Statistics Review, over 145,000 new homes were registered in 2014, which was a 9% increase on 2013. With confidence in the newbuild market set to continue throughout 2015, it’s worth exploring how merchants can tap into this growth area to maximise profits.

As a warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC’s monthly registration statistics are a leading indicator of the health of the country’s new homes market. New figures released by NHBC have revealed that the number of new homes registered in the UK in February increased by 25% compared to the same month in 2014.

In addition to this, the Conservative party has pledged to increase housebuilding to at least 200,000 new starts each year. In fact, the brick industry has already responded enthusiastically to the rise in housebuilding numbers over the last two years and the Brick Development Association is confident that it will continue to grow capacity to help reach this exacting target.

Ensuring external door locks meet British Standard BS3621 should form the basis of any newbuild security solution. Adding additional items such as a door chain and door viewer provides extra protection, as does fitting visual deterrents such as a home alarm, CCTV system and security lighting.

With this in mind, it is incredibly important to stock fit-for-purpose security measures for trade customers working on newbuild projects. Not only to ensure that you recommend the correct security solution for insurance purposes, but also for up-selling opportunities once the build is nearing completion.

David Herbert is head of marketing at Yale.