Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Tilecast news, features and analysis brought to you by diary vitaladict hello and welcome back to Tilecast, your weekly news update from the ceramic tile world. This is weekending, the 4 October 2024 and all the usual housekeeping messages, so don't forget to like subscribe, follow, and of course share this with other tile addicts and friends, colleagues, whatever, just so that we can get the word out there. And the more followers we have, the more we can do, basically. So, as ever, I'm joined by Dara of Taal Addict's Jo Simpson. Hello Joe. I gather you've been on your travels.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right. Last week I took a trip to Italy, like so many of the UK tile industry, to visit the world's foremost tile catwalk, Chersai and bologna. And then I moved on to Rimini for the surface manufacturing show Tecna.
[00:01:07] Speaker A: Brilliant. So that's the fashion show really, isn't it? The annual fashion show for tiles in Xe Psi. Anything significant to report?
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Well, I have to say I thought it was slightly disappointing this year. It wasn't helped by the taxi and airport employees strike, which properly held down numbers on the Monday. And I like the way the show has been re engineered, the new hall and floor plan and an overall attendance of 95,000 is none too shabby given the current state of the world's economy.
[00:01:37] Speaker A: So you say it was disappointing though?
[00:01:40] Speaker B: Yeah. I have to say that the overall lack of innovation and excitement in the new tile ranges was slightly disappointing. Perhaps the manufacturers are being quite cautious and have been unwilling to invest too much in R and D over the past twelve months, but for me, the main factories were demonstrating their new production capabilities rather than true aesthetic innovation. There were a lot of pretty bland pale stone effect and cement stone infusion tiles, particularly floor tiles, where the only interesting elements were gloss glazed speckles, vein reliefs and soft granular textures. Now, don't get me wrong, many of these ranges are very commercial and quite beautiful, but unique and innovative. They were not. And with so many great examples to choose from, ultimately it will all come down to price or establish commercial relationships.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: So I suppose the economic environment's partly to blame for that, isn't it? But did you see anything that got the pulse racing?
[00:02:37] Speaker B: Well, I did. I enjoyed some of the more heavily themed stands, notably fond Duvalle's vinyl sound studio concept and Quintessenza's riot of colour and pop art decors. And there were some bold new tile shapes on the Natu ser stand and groovy 1970s styles from del Conquer and revoir, Paris. But the single tile, to really catch my eye was a bold and beautiful african shield design that formed one of the great display of wallpaper patterns in ABK's Wyden style collection.
[00:03:09] Speaker A: African. I love the idea of african designs getting some mileage. Really.
[00:03:14] Speaker B: I don't think it's a trend, but it was, for me, a standout moment. A bit like last year's jellyfish.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. So any other trends to bet on for the future?
[00:03:25] Speaker B: Well, I'll single out two. One was ten reals soft touch floor tiles. Many of these are being shown alongside r eleven external ranges, including 20 mil products. And this really opens up the possibility of seamless inside out design and also offers distributors the opportunity to run one range across both consumer and commercial contract channels.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: Can you just explain the r ten and r eleven to the ignoramuses?
[00:03:49] Speaker B: Obviously. Okay. Yeah. We're talking about slip resistance. So a lot of things were traditionally sold as PTV 36. These are better rated in America. We're talking about the coefficient of friction. But basically ten reals, good non slip resistance, better than nine reals. And if you got ten reals and eleven reals with aesthetically the same, that really is the gold standard.
[00:04:14] Speaker A: So r eleven is for outside tiles.
[00:04:17] Speaker B: It's the higher slip resistant thing. You can use them inside, but yes, if you want to get something specified outside for contract use, r eleven.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Right, okay. And so for the trends.
[00:04:27] Speaker B: Right, the second trend may be an illusion, maybe something that's just taking place in my head, but I think I detected some freshen Japandi styles.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: Oh, I like that word.
[00:04:37] Speaker B: So here, the precise detail and rigorous designs are 100% japanese, but the colour palette is very scandinavian. Now, this may amount to nothing but the half or dozen or so what I'm calling Japan d inspired ranges I saw at Chesai were very, very promising. I mean, I hope this is a trend that becomes a proper trend.
[00:04:59] Speaker A: I guess japanese and scandinavian eyes do have sort of a simplicity and purity in common, don't they?
[00:05:05] Speaker B: They do. It's just a lot of the japanese tiles are quite small, quite precise, quite exact. And I think they work well with some of the more freestyle ranges that are coming out of, particularly Spain, where it's all about organic glazes and interesting aged effects.
[00:05:26] Speaker A: Right, okay, well, Japandi, you heard it here first. Okay, so what about sustainability? And were many companies flying their green flag?
[00:05:34] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. We saw the first fruits of all electric kilns, hydrogen fired slabs. But for me, probably the most comprehensive and coherent offer was the re stone, re concrete, re whatever collection from mirage, re whatever is my word. So I'd say basically re the dash is the idea and it's basically all about recycled content. I thought it was a very clear and compelling offer and I would be amazed if many of the world's top retailers and distributors didn't buy in.
[00:06:06] Speaker A: Okay, so is that concluding chiazi, that really was what you felt was the best?
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Well, I mean, obviously I'll be putting up other things about colour choices, but a lot of it was really steady as you go, or slight tweaks on last year rather than revolution in my mind.
[00:06:25] Speaker A: Okay, so Remini.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Okay, well, maybe I'm in a bit of an Eeyore mood, but Tecna also left me underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, Rimini is a great host location. It's got plenty of value, hotels, good restaurants, excellent train links, and the exhibition itself is one of the most attractive I visit. But the show itself for me, promised more than it delivered. In past iterations of this exhibition, I've seen the birth of, let's say, three millimeter porcelain panels, the first digital inkjet printers, the pioneering technology of continuous pressing, etcetera, etcetera. So I went to Rimini hoping to see into the future, to experience the next technology that will cause a sea change in the tile sector. But I left disappointed.
[00:07:09] Speaker A: I think it's quite hard for a lot of us to see into the future at the moment. But was there anything new to see?
[00:07:14] Speaker B: Well, the only thing that really grabbed my attention was materialzone, an analytical AI tool designed to accelerate ceramic processes and new product development by reducing the need for multiple prototypes. But in terms of pressing, firing, decorating, polishing and packing, Tecna displayed minor enhancements rather than significant leaps. And I was disappointed that there was not more about basic raw materials like clay comparisons, given the huge impact that the disruption of the ukrainian clay surprise due to the war has had on the european tile industry. I was also anticipating far more about energy use and power generation. But then maybe I was just expecting too much.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: Right, okay, so any other news then? Anything else you picked up while you were chatting?
[00:08:00] Speaker B: Well, inevitably you get news out there. And I'd heard that Cameron Fraser and Peter van have sold their Leeds based distribution business, Ceramique Internationale, to Julian Palmer's extant tiles. Palmer's Earls group secured significant sums for expansion in July 2023 and has made some other strategic acquisitions recently. Their management team's been boosted by people like Steve Lacey, the former CTD swetticoor man who's come in as director of commercial and specification. And for me this seems like a great fit and will bring some strong manufacturing brands into what appears to be a progressive and ambitious group. So it all sounds like good news. I'm sure more details will emerge in the coming weeks as the paint is still drying on this deal.
[00:08:46] Speaker A: Okay. And internationally. Anything going on?
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Well, confident Austria, ceramica and the italian producers were all drawing attention to Mario Draghi's September report on import dumping. The former EU mandarin has proposed strategies for strengthening the European Union's position within the global authority in the light of the forthcoming publication of the american provisional anti dumping duties on indian imports, which are expected to range between 320 and 480%, the European Commission is being urged to do likewise. I have to say I find this understandable, but rather myopic. If you're going to place barriers to China and India, what are you going to do about Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and all the other fast developing tile producing nations? Where does it all stop? There also appears to be some double standards at play here as sales of italian tile manufacturing kit to these same countries is booming and has boomed over the last God knows how long. I don't really think you can have it both ways.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: You mentioned in the last telecast that you expected there'd be interest in ids international decorative services once the news of administration got out there. Were you right? Yes.
[00:09:57] Speaker B: I mean, it's still early days, but the bathroom brands group has already acquired Shower wall and its assets, as well as the obvious intellectual property and stock. The deal includes Showerwall's head office and production facilities in Stoke on Trent. Showerwall will join a portfolio of brands that includes Crosswater, Burlington, Britain and Clearwater interiors. So I suspect there'll be more news, but it's a start.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: Okay, and what about CTD? That seems to be rumbling on a bit.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: Yes, and it's not good news. I haven't seen the paperwork myself, but I understand that the bad debt list has been published and the UK tile sector has been hit by a really damaging 42 million pound hit. I mean, it's just. It's really bad news. And the list includes some notable tile manufacturers around the globe, adhesive companies. I found some very angry people among the UK tile fraternity. They are seeing this as 100% avoidable catastrophe and a very sad end to what was a well run and well respected UK company going back years. Personally, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see this sorry saga end up in the courts. But, you know, it is a sorry saga and it's a. It's something that the industry, which is, you know, finding struggling like most retail industries at the moment, just doesn't need.
[00:11:14] Speaker A: And the only biggest benefactor, as far as I can see, is the administrators and liquidators who presumably are having a booming time at the moment.
[00:11:22] Speaker B: Yep. Yep. That seems to be the business to get into. If only we'd known that when we were at university.
[00:11:28] Speaker A: So, any statistical updates? So start with the uk market. Anything there?
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Yeah, well, Kingfisher, who. Those who don't know is B and Q's parent company, have seen a slight rise in profits despite a drop in sales. And one of the positive factors is that B and Q's trade sales have grown quite significantly of late. Trade points up by around 7%. And they're saying that sales of big ticket items, and here we're really talking kitchens and bathrooms, are said to be resilient. Kingfisher earned? 325 million in the first half of 2024, which is a significant year on the year rise. And this all seems to align well with a recent report that claims that bathroom spend has increased by 80% over the last three years. This is the Wick's great bathroom report. And it found that the typical uk consumer spent on average nearly 4000 pounds in the new bathroom, with one in four saying they'd be willing to pay more than 5000.
[00:12:24] Speaker A: Right, well, that's the best place to retreat to, isn't it? The bathroom, really? Okay, so any more surprises from the report?
[00:12:31] Speaker B: Well, as you say, I'm not sure it's surprised, but one in three. Homer said their bathroom was the most important. The bathroom's most important purpose was to serve as a place to unwind and relax.
Interestingly, this number increases to six in ten among 18 to 24 year olds, which will probably come to no surprise to people who still got their grown up kids living with them.
And the other things people talked about, what do they want out of a bathroom? A walk in shower and easy cleaning. So they were the most. Two. Two most sought after features in a practical sense.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: I gather your friends at the Clerkenwell Design Week have also got some positive news this week.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right. The challenge at Clerkenwell is that while the 170 odd participating showrooms offer great scope, there's constant demand for new, well cited and sizable venues for one off exhibitions over the weekend. And it's very important to keep the geographical area compact to preserve the show's inherent energy. So it's great news that three new venues will be available next year. Part of what is being built as a new district in the south of CDW's festival map. They are a 900 year old medieval church, a former Tudor monastery and a beautiful green space in Charterhouse Square. So pretty typical venues for Clark and World Design Week and they are going to be welcome additions to the eclectic mix of venues there. So I think 2025 looks like being the best clerk in the world yet.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: Okay, well, make sure you start planning your trip there, people. Okay, so I guess that's it for most news this week. Have you got anything, you know, that's coming up next week for tilecast?
[00:14:16] Speaker B: Well, next week I'll offer edited highlights of Akimax comprehensive report on the world production and consumption of ceramic tiles. I expect this is going to make quite sober reading, given the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the parlour state of the world economy, the widespread political uncertainty. Da de da da da. But there will be a lot of salient details to pore over, so I'm not going to make it too fact heavy. I'll post them up on Dara. Vital addict. But there are going to be some interesting things there. Particularly I think people are going to be surprised by how much companies you don't think as being at the forefront of the tile industry now are.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: Leave us with a happy thought.
[00:14:54] Speaker B: Okay, well, this is more of a funny story. On my flight home from Italy, the person in the airline seat next to me realized some way into the flight that I was from the Thailand string that I'd been to Tecna. He turned to me and asked me, well, how did you find it? My poor neighbour probably got a bit more detail than he wanted. And as you can tell, while I love the show, the exhibition centre and everything, this year's iteration had left me a bit cold. And so I laid out my thoughts on how the show could be improved and I finished by telling him that I'd actually written down my ideas in a letter that to the CEO of the italian exhibition company that runs it. And then I sort of said, I'll probably think better of actually sending it on Monday as it's a bit cheeky and he probably won't read it any rate, he will read it, said my neighbour, but send it to me first. And he then handed me his business card and it read, managing director of unnamed exhibition company basically the italian operations UK and asian sister company. So I'm just glad I started off by saying all the things I enjoyed about Tecna. But anyway, interesting. And the letter has gone out, right?
[00:16:00] Speaker A: And there's a moral to that story. Be careful what you say to people who let you know who they are.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: But. Absolutely. But I think all well ends well.
[00:16:09] Speaker A: And actually a good bit of honest information was probably very valuable.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: Yeah, very valuable if you judge it by the people who are doing the administration. That was probably about 1000 pounds worth of free advice I gave him on that.
[00:16:22] Speaker A: Don't get me started on administrators. Okay, guys, well, thank you for listening. As ever. Have a great week. And don't forget to send your news stories to Joe at which email address.
[00:16:34] Speaker B: Right, best one, tileukol.com.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Brilliant. And also, don't forget to look at the diary of a tarlet site where Hannah does regular stories on amazing stuff that goes on the tile world. All beautiful, beautifully done. She writes it beautifully and well worth a read.
[00:16:55] Speaker B: Yeah, you'll see stuff there you will not see anywhere else on the planet. So tune in.
[00:17:01] Speaker A: Yeah. And don't forget to share this with everybody. Okay, see you next week.
[00:17:04] Speaker B: Bye for now.
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