Quarter 3 saw a gradual slowdown in paving sales compared to Q2. Fortunately, this was not as steep as the quarter-on-quarter drop off seen in Q3 last year.

The tail off in demand could be attributed to the exceptionally wet weather over the summer, which hampered landscaping projects, or consumers choosing to spend money on other things like holidays. But overall it does feel like a challenging time for the industry. A number of our competitors are laying off staff or restructuring and some builders’ merchants are taking similar actions to remain profitable.

Pavestone is bucking the trend as we have just taken on staff. The key to our success? Working hard to win customers’ business – something we didn’t really have to do during the Covid home improvement boom. We are helping merchants to proactively sell paving products with training and sales support. We are also working with influencers to create a buzz on social media about our products to bring more customers to their door.

Porcelain sales continue to grow, with Indian porcelain taking market share from Italian suppliers. Shipping prices from India are now at pre-Covid levels which is helping keep the price point low. Pitted against entry level Indian porcelain, sandstone sales continue to decline.

By demand, we are now stocking 16mm porcelain slabs (standard depth is 20mm). This thinner paving will save customers a few pounds per metre, but merchants should advise landscapers on the potential pitfalls of fitting a thinner product. If the bed it’s installed on is not exactly correct, it can fail, leading to call backs and complaints.

In terms of product trends, dark grey paving is losing ground to earthy, neutral toned products like greige which is growing in popularity in Europe. Following the success of our sell out marble patterned paving, which offered something unique and different to consumers, we are looking at adding more new designs for 2024. 

Despite the doom and gloom and talk of recession, we remain positive that opportunities for paving sales remain strong. We just need to work harder, smarter and more creatively to secure that business.