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: Q2 2024
There has been more to cheer about in Q2 for the natural stone and paving sector. Sales were given a boost thanks to some better weather and also the Euro’s, which encouraged people to spend more time outdoors and get their gardens in order. Steady demand over Q2 has put us on par with our 2023 performance at the halfway point in the year, but it’s going to be a difficult H2.
The end of Q2 saw many suppliers going out with price rise notifications to come into effect in August. The reason behind the increases is the ongoing shipping issues which are making it increasingly costly to bring product into the UK. The routes ships need to take to avoid the Red Sea mean they are on the water for longer, so there is less shipping capacity and more containers at sea at any one time. As a result, the cost per container doubled to $4,500 between April and August.
Skyrocketing shipping prices represents big challenges for importers and merchants alike. No-one wants to buy in masses of product at a higher price, knowing shipping prices will fall in the future. But similarly, operating a buy to order model puts pressure on an already stretched supply chain. Our recommendation is for merchants to buy in good amounts of stock and be prepared for shortages on certain lines.
In terms of products, the market has continued to move towards lighter, neutral colours like cream, light grey and greige in 2024, while dark grey sales continue to decline. There is growing interest in premium feature products, such as cladding for walling or steps, and mosaic paving to highlight different spaces like an alfresco dining area.
As we move into Q3, there could be a slow down in demand on the cards. The new Government is ushering in many unknowns which could negatively impact the UK’s RMI customer base. People don’t know if they will be better or worse off until after the Autumn Budget and we are hearing anecdotally from landscapers that higher value jobs are being put on hold until the picture becomes clear. Hopefully the Chancellor’s red box will contain some good news for the sector.