profile
Krystal Williams
Krystal has extensive commercial experience in the landscaping and building materials sector, working with leading brands of aggregates, stone and concrete paving since 2003. She joined Pavestone in 2017 and was promoted to Managing Director of the company’s landscaping division in 2019.
Krystal’s commercial acumen, vision of the future and strategic thinking has helped drive Pavestone’s growth and market leading position in a fast-paced sector.
Pavestone
Pavestone is a leading hard landscaping supplier of natural stone and man-made paving products, serving independent builders’ merchants across the UK.
For nearly 20 years, the privately owned business has been synonymous for elegant products, manufactured from the highest quality materials and to relevant British Quality Standards.
Its natural stone landscaping products originate from many countries around the world. The stone is ethically sourced from audited, long standing supply partners and to exact specifications.
Pavestone’s manufacturing facilities are located in Chipping Campden (Gloucestershire) and Burford (Oxfordshire), where it makes most of its made-made landscaping products using local Cotswold stone. The electricity used to power Pavestone’s production machinery, light, heat and general power is supplied from renewable resources that include wind turbines and hydro-electric schemes.
In addition to its own manufactured products, the company also supplies the finest and most innovative European landscaping products through commercial partnerships with world class concrete and porcelain manufacturers.
Visit: www.pavestone.co.uk
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/pavestone-uk-limited
Twitter: @Pavestone
Launched in 2015, the award winning monthly Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report is the only reliable measure of repair, maintenance & improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. Filling an important gap, it can be widely used in construction, and by economists, Government, national media, commentators and influencers outside the industry.
Pavestone Comment: Q3 2024
Going into the second half, we suspected the market conditions would be a bit tougher for natural stone and porcelain paving, and a slow-down might be on the cards. We weren’t wrong!
Quarter three started with the outcome of the general election, and while we had hoped for an uplift in the market once the new government was appointed, this didn’t happen. Labour wasted an opportunity to boost business and consumer confidence with their warnings of tough times ahead, and this affected our RMI customer base.
Many of the high-end landscapers we work with have had work put on hold as customers awaited the outcome of the Autumn budget statement. Now the budget is out, people know the impact the changes will have on their finances, and there will be many more customers choosing to keep money in the bank while the interest rates are still high rather than spend on garden improvements in the short term, at least.
That said, there was one positive from Q3 – the turnaround in shipping prices. A drop in global demand meant that container prices have fallen sharply and as a result, Indian porcelain and sandstone have fallen in price too. To capitalise on low shipping prices, we are extending our range of products from India for 2025, and many of our merchant customers are placing large orders to stock up for the year ahead. It’s the right time to buy if you want to increase margins and encourage consumers with more budget-friendly options.
In terms of products, dark grey paving sales continue to decline both here and in Europe, with consumer tastes shifting towards neutral colours like cream, light grey and greige. Products to create unique features within an outdoor space, such as wall or step cladding and mosaic paving, are also trends to watch for 2024-25. Customers are increasingly looking for value for money too, so stocking products with different price points is really important to secure sales.
The market may be down now, but we believe that things will pick up next year, with a cracking pre-season in Q1 2025, and a return to a more buoyant RMI market in the spring.