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Key Areas

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

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KEY AREAS

MARKET SIZE

• The overall market size for ceramic tiles in the UK and future growth, by value.
• Key influences and trends in the market as a whole - impact of leisure sector, influences of television programmes/home interest magazines etc.
• Outlook for the overall industry.
• Mix of domestic and contract applications by value.
• The ceramic tile market in relation to the overall home decor and contract floorcoverings markets.

PRODUCT MIX

• Mix of wall and floor tiles by value
• General issues and trends concerning wall tiles and floor tiles.
• Strengths, opportunities and threats - floor tiles and wall tiles

APPLICATION AREAS

• Principal end use sectors - contract floorcoverings market by application, growth of conservatory and shower markets etc.
• Contract floorcoverings market by type by value.

SUPPLY & DISTRIBUTION STRUCTURES

• Contract and domestic channels.
• Channel shares and trends.
• DIY multiples, builders merchants, distributors, independents, etc..
• Key suppliers by market share.
• Company information, turnover, key characteristics, market positioning, strengths.

FUTURE PROSPECTS/KEY INFLUENCES

• Key influences on the contract and domestic sectors of the ceramic tiles market.
• Future prospects for the contract and domestic sectors.

The report contains over 30 tables and charts, incorporating ORIGINAL research and comment on the UK ceramic tile market, providing incisive and thought provoking views on the industry’s development.

AMA Research are specialist publishers of a wide range of reports in home improvement markets including Builders Merchants, DIY Multiples, Wallcoverings, Floorcoverings, Contract Floorcoverings, Conservatories, Showers, Bathrooms etc.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The UK Ceramic Tiles Market is relatively fragmented in terms of end-use sectors, but is becoming more concentrated in the manufacturing and distribution sectors.

The total market in 1999 is estimated to be approximately £329m at manufacturers' selling prices, which represents an increase of around 6 percent over the previous year.

Following a difficult period in the early-1990's, both the domestic and contract sectors of the market enjoyed significant growth from around 1995. Although the domestic sector experienced a difficult trading environment in 1998, by the later part of 1999 the domestic market is showing signs of positive growth, driven by a number of factors. These include fashion, home improvement interest stimulated by television programmes, the availability of a wide range of colourful and artistic designs, and generally improving consumer confidence in the economy as a whole, benefiting both new building and refurbishment.

In the contract sector, growth in 1999 has been attributed to a modest recovery in construction activity, a trend towards higher specification/higher value products, and strong growth in the leisure sector, accelerated by lottery funding and the impending millennium 'dead line'.

In general, prospects for the overall market's performance in 1999 look reasonably optimistic, for the reasons mentioned above.

Projected growth for the overall ceramic tiles market 1999-2004 has been forecast at around 5-6 percent, taking into account growth prospects for the UK economy and influences in the various end-use sectors. Views differ as to whether the UK market may ever reach Scandinavian or other European levels of penetration which are very high, but in any event a trend towards higher penetration levels would be positive.

In the contract sector, there are several key areas offering prospects for growth over the next five years, for example:

• Health and education - major investment is committed, with significant increases in expenditure on buildings, via PFI, private sector input or government expenditure.
• Hotels and leisure centres, swimming pools, etc - significant private sector investment reflecting the growing trends to entertainment, and to leisure breaks and facilities, health clubs, etc.

Durability, low-maintenance, ease of cleaning, water impermeability, fire-retardancy and the inert nature of tiles, are all issues which will collectively benefit ceramic tiles for floor and wall use. Increasing emphasis on health and safety issues by specifiers and end-users is also having a major impact, to the benefit of ceramic tiles which are inherently hygienic.

In the domestic sector, consumer confidence is returning, which should result in an improving environment for home improvement products in the short and medium term. As previously mentioned, interest in home decor, interior design, fashion and home improvement projects has been stimulated by the media, impacting favourably on ceramic tile demand. >From the supply side, the continuing availability of new tile designs, materials and shapes from designers, manufacturers and importers, provides an expanding product range offering for new and refurbishment operations, with these factors tending to underpin domestic growth in the period 2000-2004. Substantial growth in showers and conservatories will also strongly motivate the domestic sector in the short to medium term.

A negative effect is the current high level of sterling which is regarded as damaging to the performance of UK manufacturers in both domestic and overseas markets, and this factor is likely to continue in the short to medium term.

The competition from solid and laminated wood floor-coverings could also have an adverse effect upon ceramic floor tiles in 'non-wet' areas in the short term. However, the general trend to hand floor-coverings may ultimately benefit tiles.

In the field of wall tiles, paints are one of the major competing products, and have recently enjoyed considerable popularity, driven by programmes such as 'Changing Rooms'. It is anticipated that increased applications of ceramic tiles such as the tiling of display and working surfaces will continue to motivate the overall market.

In 1999, the supply structure of the UK market was dominated by importers and by two major local manufacturers, H.R. Johnson and Pilkington's, whilst British Ceramic Tile have recently opened a large factory and are likely to become a major force in the UK market. Other UK manufacturers include Dennis Ruabon, Marlborough Tiles, Hawkins, etc.

The distribution structure for floor and wall tiles is relatively complex, reflecting a mix between contract and domestic sales. In the domestic sector, the DIY multiples continue to lead the refurbishment market whilst in the contract sector distributors and the direct channel predominate. The increasing involvement in tile distribution by leading builders merchants indicates that this channel is likely to increase their level of activity in the medium to long term.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Text © 2000 AMA Research

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Last updated by Jacob van Eldik 26th February 2000