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: Q4 2024
2024 fizzled out with slow paving sales in the last quarter, but prospects for 2025 are already looking up as the pre-season gets off to a flying start.
What goes up, must come down, and after months of hikes, we finally saw a drop in container prices in Q4. With the ceasefire in Israel extending to the Houthi rebels, there is the possibility of a return to shipping lines through the Suez canal, so there may be further decreases in the coming months. This is always difficult to navigate as stock bought at the higher price point still needs to deliver a margin for suppliers and merchants.
Looking ahead, we are proud to be bringing clay paving products to the UK market in Q1 – a deal two years in the making! As well as superior aesthetics, the most notable selling point for clay is its durability; it has a 135-year lifecycle and the colour doesn’t fade over time.
With just five years to go until the 2030 net zero targets need to be met, clay paving fares well from a sustainability point of view too. It’s sourced from mainland Europe where the clay is dredged from lowland areas to prevent flooding so it has an environmental purpose. It has a lower carbon footprint to ship compared to Indian sandstone and porcelain, and it offers a lifetime of use so there’s no need to replace it in 10 years as you might with products which wear over time.
Other products we are predicting will be big in 2025 are wall cladding, which add colour and texture to existing walls, and outdoor kitchens. Consider how branch displays might best showcase these trending products to upsell customers.
While we are seeing an upturn in sales as lower shipping prices and pre-season offers make it an optimal time for merchants to stock up, it’s less clear whether this boost in sales is being driven by consumer demand. The latest NIQ GfK Consumer Confidence Index reveals a -5 point drop in consumer confidence in January, with all metrics recording a fall. Are we bucking the trend, or is a turnaround in fortunes ahead for RMI? Only time will tell.