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: Q1 2026
Quarter 1 2026 was phenomenal for paving sales, as merchants stocked up ahead of potential product shortages and price rises.
Sandstone shortages was something I touched on in my previous comment; an extended monsoon season in India flooded quarries in the north and production had ground to a halt. On a visit in March, we saw that production had resumed but the months lost have caused major shortages, pushing up sandstone prices.
Unfortunately, Indian porcelain supplies have also been impacted this year. Not by rain, but by the fuel shortages caused by the blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. Production ceased completely for a short time. Now the factories are open again the production price for porcelain has gone up. We have good supplies of European mid-range porcelain, and the price points between this and what used to be an entry level offer from India is now narrowing.
Difficulties in getting stock from India have been compounded by the challenges we are facing due to the Iran war. Shipping costs have doubled, and while we are a long way short of the peaks we saw during Covid, container prices remain volatile and will be throughout the year.
The uplift in Q1 sales reflects merchants and suppliers working together to secure stock levels, rather than an accurate reflection of consumer demand which is very difficult to read. Some landscapers tell us they have full order books for 2026; others are in a desperate situation. Merchants too are finding the market to be boom or bust.
The next few months will be telling. We could see more people staying at home this summer, with holidays abroad subject to fuel surcharges and cancellations. With money in the bank, homeowners might be more inclined to spend on their gardens. This of course hinges on the weather! If it’s a washout, holidays abroad will be back in, and home improvements out.
What the rest of 2026 looks like depends on so many variables – none of which are in suppliers’ control. All we can do is our best to ensure the paving products customers want are on the ground, in stock when they need them.