Q3 was a rollercoaster quarter for paving sales. July and August, which are notoriously slow for landscapers, were very quiet and sales were well below last year’s. September, however, saw a 20% increase in volume that more than made up for the shortfall.

Overall, we are up on last year as we move into the final quarter of 2025, and while we are bucking the trend in the paving sector, it has been a year of peaks and troughs. It’s the same for our merchant customers – some are up, others are down for the year, and there doesn’t seem to be any tangible reason behind it.

Shipping prices continue to be volatile and were recently impacted by China and US trading peaks and subsequent capacity constraints. The longer route around the Cape of Good Hope is likely to be permanent too, as shipping companies realise they can charge more for this. Managing the fluctuating costs remains challenging.

Unprecedented rainfall in India has flooded sandstone quarries in the north, so getting blocks of stone out is impossible until the water subsides. The pause in production in our partner mines is adding to a wider shortage of sandstone in India which will have a knock-on effect on the UK. The government is not issuing any new mining leases, and is enforcing the closure of illegal mines, so there is less product on the market to meet domestic and export demand. We are expecting disruption to our supplies for the next year at least and have urged merchants to place their pre-season orders now while stocks are available.

That said, the sandstone shortage is creating a big opportunity for natural stone replica paving, made from porcelain. Lookalike products are cost competitive with natural stone plus they have all the benefits of porcelain (algae-, frost- and slip resistant). With demand high for natural colours and aesthetics, we have created porcelain alternatives to all our bestselling sandstone products.

Looking ahead, it’s likely be a subdued Q4 for paving products. While the Consumer Confidence index’s major purchase score was +4 points in October, we don’t expect homeowners to commit to big ticket items or home improvements until after the budget and people better understand what their finances look like.