The American ceramic tile market: the opinion of Marca Corona

31/03/06 - Italian tiles control a very important market share in North America and will continue to do so, while the fiercest competition will be from the Chinese, Indonesian and South American manufacturers. Our market share may not expand, but neither will it contract.
Tile consumption is constantly increasing, so Italian exports are maintaining their share in terms of absolute value while decreasing in percentage terms. The prices of our products will not fall, so we can expect to maintain our turnovers.

As for products, the mainstay of the American market is the stone-imitation tile. Attempts have been made to move away from this a little with effects such as concrete, wood, metal and terracotta. However, natural stone – revisited and reinvented rather than slavishly imitated – remains the cornerstone of the market.

In 2005 Marca Corona achieved two-figure growth and 2006 has likewise started well with superior results to the same period in 2005. Nonetheless, there are plenty of things to be concerned about as ultimately the figures are the slowest indicators of change.
Our organisation in the United States with our backup branch in Pennsylvania certainly facilitates relations with large distributors specialising in ceramic tiles, which handle 80% of our US exports. We are aiming to strengthen relations with these partners.


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