Markets and Industry

The Xiamen Stone fair, held annually from 6 to 9 March in the Chinese city, has always been an important indicator of the situation of the natural stone industry, not just in China but also in other countries. Normally held soon after the Chinese New Year, with the winter almost over in the northern hemisphere, it is especially important for the sellers of blocks, both marble and granite. During the 4 days duration of the fair those in mining of stone get a fairly reliable indication of what demand for their materials will be in the months ahead.

Most people in the world of stone and others too normally associate Macael in the province of Almeria with the multinational Cosentino, which has its headquarters and main manufacturing units located there. Often overshadowed, not very well known outside Spain, there also exists another very sophisticated industry in the area of craftsmanship in marble with a great tradition going back centuries.

1. While the long awaited construction boom in India is nowhere on the horizon, there is some improvement in construction activity in some parts of the vast country. Bangalore and its surrounding area, the NCR (National capital region) and some other cities are places where stone people are selling more than before. But there are also thousands of unsold upmarket flats in buildings in major cities like Mumbai and many building companies are in serious financial trouble. A nationwide construction boom is still some years away.

1. In 2018 the Polish economy is expected to grow at reasonably fast pace with several commercial projects projected and expected to be in the construction stage.

2. The purchasing power of the Polish consumer has been increasing year after year ever since it entered the European Union and it now seems to have reached a level where goods which were beyond the reach of most people are now becoming accessible for a large part of the population. Given the optimistic state of the Polish consumer, more spending on home decoration is expected in 2018.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Robert Stadler robert.stadler@vtxmail.ch

Switzerland is considered to be one of the most stable economies in the world, even in such a volatile world, and this key aspect also applies to the market for natural stone in the country. The variations in demand tend to be rather limited when compared to other countries.

1) The Russian natural stone market has become very price sensitive now, and except for the premium private homes segment of the market, buyers now looks around for the lowest price. The devaluation of the rouble has made imported stone much more expensive. Before the economic slowdown in 2014, the strong rouble and a fast growing economy meant that there was a market for natural stone in all different price segments.

In the month of September, 2016 the Indian Government announced a new  policy for the import of marble blocks which has far reaching consequences for the development of the marble industry in India. The new liberalised policy, while still maintaining high import duties, at last made it easy for anyone setting up a factory to import marble blocks.