After a buoyant pre-sales season and a booming Q1, where our biggest challenge was getting stock to customers fast enough, Q2 continued in the same vein – until it didn’t. April and May saw Covid lockdown levels of orders, with beige porcelain for example up 90% on last year, which we had not forecasted. But since June, the market has softened significantly.

Speaking to our merchant customers, the massive drop off in demand is a trend that goes beyond paving products. What’s behind the peaks and troughs remains unclear.

The sudden reduction in demand is difficult for us to navigate as suppliers. Our European porcelain paving can arrive in the UK within three weeks, while our sandstone products and a selection of porcelain options, are shipped from India which has a ten-week lead time. The fragile ceasefire agreed between President Trump and the Houthi rebels has not resolved issues and vessels travelling between Asia and Europe must still use the longer Cape of Good Hope route. We can’t be agile and react quickly to fluctuations in demand with a two-month lead time.

While we are at the mercy of what stocks our suppliers have, the whims of shipping companies, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, global tariffs and other macro events, we still try to do the best for our loyal customers. Currently, it is challenging to meet expectations, and there seems to be a growing divide between what customers want (and when) and what we can deliver as an industry.

In product trends, it’s a year for lighter, natural and neutral colours. At the halfway point, porcelain is the biggest winner so far, with cream and ivory the most popular colours. Porcelain is fast approaching a 50% market share. It may only be a matter of time before porcelain takes the top spot from sandstone to become the number one choice for UK households. Twenty twenty-five has given us some incredible highs and some hard times that we hadn’t expected. With the forecasts out the window, who knows what H2 holds for the paving sector, and our landscapers and merchants. Whatever happens, we must face it together with mutual understanding and patience.