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 2023
Twenty twenty-three ended much as we would have expected for a normal Q4, with seasonal trade patterns returning. Despite last year having its challenges, the mood in the industry seemed pretty positive in Q4 and most people were upbeat about prospects for 2024.
However, much of this optimism has already dissipated as escalating tensions in the Middle East are negatively impacting our industry’s supply chain.
Houthi rebel attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea – part of the main shipping route from Asia to Europe – mean that getting Indian sandstone and porcelain to the UK is being delayed as safer routes take longer. When those ships arrive in Europe, port congestion is again becoming an issue, making it difficult to predict when stock will arrive. To add to the challenges, shipping costs have gone up fivefold (at the time of writing) from $600 to $3000 per container. Price increases to cover the additional transport costs are looking inevitable.
To get ahead of availability issues and price increases, some merchants are panic buying stock. We know from the Covid years that this only leads to further scarcity, additional price increases and merchants ending up with an excess of stock on the ground. We aren’t accepting orders above normal levels or new customers while availability is an issue, but we know other suppliers are.
We source most of our porcelain and printed products from Europe, so there is still plenty of product available to merchants. It’s entry level Indian porcelain and sandstone which look likely to have limited availability over the coming months – or until the political unrest reaches a resolution. The thinner 16mm porcelain slabs are also only available from India.
Despite the geopolitical impact on the supply chain, we are still hoping for a good 2024. Greige and other neutral toned paving is overtaking dark grey paving as the most popular choice for customers and is certainly our hot tip for merchants looking to offer something new for 2024 to entice customers in. With consumer confidence up in January, perhaps homeowners are less doom-and-gloom about the prospects for the year ahead and could give the market a much-needed lift.