LANDSCAPING
Well-planned and attractive ‘garden rooms’ are particularly on-trend and can really add value to a property. As a result more consumers are investing in hard landscaping products, merchants should be aware of this and take full advantage of this trend. Gough adds: “The cost of moving home is continually rising forcing many homeowners to think twice about relocating and instead looking to invest in what they already have. A property’s external envelope provides additional space for expansion and with the increase in popularity of the bi-folding door, outside living spaces are becoming the normal home improvement route,” he says. “The relationship between manufacturers and merchants should always be mutually beneficial and excellent communication is required to make the most of these relationships. Talasey Group is proud to operate a strict merchant only policy and works hard to go beyond the typical supplier/ customer dynamic.
“It’s important we remain responsive to merchants’ needs and help them tap into additional sales opportunities. We work to provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ for landscaping products including installation and maintenance accessories. What’s more, we can supply custom display areas to help customers visualise their finished installations providing merchants the opportunity to cross- sell and up-sell products.”
Sara Cullis, strategic marketing director at Global Stone, has also identified opportunities for continued growth: “The demand for easy to maintain contemporary gardens continues including increased hard landscaping, larger format paving and porcelain paving which has
durable and easy to clean properties,” she says “We have seen a significant increase in porcelain paving sales, as has the artificial grass market, as both products can help to create an easy to maintain garden. We also predict that the internal trend to blend contemporary and traditional will move into the gardens, as consumers continue to develop and extend their homes.” Cullis also suggests that the demand for higher quality and premium ranges across all types of garden products will continue to increase ad attributes this to the fact that consumers have become “more discerning, travelling wider afield and experiencing different cultures and product offerings driving a desire for improved lifestyle.”
Getting the right mix So consumers are continuing to drive the market with an increased interest in contemporary products for their landscaping requirements. More than ever consumers are looking for quality out of their paving, but will always balance this with value for money options. “We expect to see lower end materials, such as asphalt, replaced with higher end paving and even natural stone as housebuilders and homeowners chase the ultimate ‘wow’ factor that will differentiate their properties from the rest of the street,” says Maggie Parris, merchant sales director at Brett Landscaping.
“This is a trend that is scalable; some finishes in natural stone and porcelain represents the upper end of the market, but there are plenty of aesthetically pleasing solutions available at all price points in the market.
Landscapers and fencers have two main requirements for their jobs. To get the fence put up quickly and to have confidence in the materials they use. Tarmac’s Blue Circle Postcrete means two fence posts and a panel can be installed in under 10minutes.
Parris agrees with others that Porcelain, in particular, has become a ‘must have’ for customers looking for inspirational patios - to be the envy of the neighbours. “The GeoCeramica range of porcelain paving slabs is creating interest because of its inherent qualities as a hard wearing and dimensionally stable paving solution - suitable for driveways using the 60mm version, with 40mm for patios and 10mm for internal floors, thus providing a solution to create a seamless indoor, outdoor flow.” The 60mm and 40mm options have a permanently bonded drainage mortar base adhered to the porcelain which the market is finding a very attractive feature in aiding installation.
Continued on page 28
Above: Natural Granite Setts in Dark Grey with Natural Granite Paving in Silver and Right: Old Town Paving in Dark Grey, both from Bradstone
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www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net March 2018
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