Since the start of this month, Caesarstone has introduced a radical new pricing structure designed to offer its partners serious value for money – UK & ROI MD Edward Smith explains how it works.
Q: Tell us about the new pricing structure and what it entails
A: Caesarstone has simplified and invested in its UK pricing structure to make it easier to understand and ensure that customers can access their best price on every product. The new structure ensures that our most popular essential designs are available at a fixed price; offering our partners a branded, premium surface with a lifetime guarantee for even the most challenging of budgets. Some Caesarstone ‘rock star’ products, like 5151 Empira White and 4033 Rugged Concrete, have come down a price group, representing a 17% drop in price. Volume pricing, previously the preserve of commercial projects, is now available to everyone.
Since 1st April, our quartz, mineral and crystalline silica free products have been available across 6 price groups; Essentials 0, 1 & 2, and Premium 3,4 & 5. The new Essentials Range is designed to have broad market appeal at the most competitive pricing for any Caesarstone product. The range includes best sellers, such as 1001 Riverlet, as well as brand-new Calacatta designs that meet the market desire for bold and vibrant veined surfaces.
Additionally, Caesarstone is extending its 30+ slab bulk buy rate, previously reserved for the commercial fabrication market, to all sectors, including retail and direct-to-consumer. This adjustment provides substantial savings against single slab rates and presents an ideal opportunity for fabricators looking to hold inventory stock of its fastest-moving designs.
Within the new price groups, Caesarstone has moved several highly sought after designs from PG Premium 4 down to PG Premium 3, representing a 17% reduction in price compared to the last quarter. These designs include 5151 Empira White, 5101 Empira Black, 6131 Bianco Drift, 5000 London Grey, and the unique 4033 Rugged Concrete. We're also simplifying discount structures versus list price, offering further savings across most product lines.
Q: Why have you done this now?
A: Since joining Caesarstone in 2023, I've been committed to offering a premium customer service that reflects the well-known quality of our surfaces. From offering reduced delivery fees, simplifying our returns process, and investing in our customer service team with new recruits, this is primarily concerned with supporting our channel partners and making us easy to work with. We are all too aware of the economic headwinds and challenges in the market at present, and this move emphasises our commitment to supplying the UK market with the best quality products at the best possible prices.
Q: How will this help Caesarstone's trade partners?
A: Analysis suggests that all of our partners should be better off, including those in the KBB sector and their consumers. Our big shift to a fixed price and volume discount offering for the popular designs in our Essentials group enables fabricators operating in every sector of the market to take advantage of pricing that was previously reserved for the new-build market. This particularly benefits smaller fabricators to buy high-quality, lifetime warrantied Caesarstone surfaces at prices previously inaccessible.
Fabricators wishing to hold stock of our most popular colours will also benefit from the 30+ slab rate, available on a mix-and-match basis, allowing them to carry our fastest moving lines with significant cost savings. Retailers will benefit from the more transparent pricing and reduced slab prices, meaning they can confidently offer affordable trend-leading surfaces from a brand known for its high quality and support. This pricing restructure, along with the other service changes that we have made over the last 12 months or so, means that we are seeing more customers come back to the brand.
Q: There are also some new launches coming up – can you tell us about the new ICON range?
A: Setting a new standard for innovation, sustainability, and safety in surface design, ICON provides advanced surface solutions that deliver superior performance – without the presence of crystalline silica. Crafted from a blend of high-quality raw materials, natural minerals, and up to 80% recycled content, this new category exemplifies the brand’s commitment to excellence, environmental responsibility, and the wellbeing of its business partners and customers.
Our new ICON formulation is already being fabricated by thousands of fabricators globally with the new technology debuting in Australia last year. These advanced fusion surfaces passed the most rigorous independent safety and performance tests and have been met with exceptional feedback by the worktop fabrication market. 5110 Alpine Mist, and the award-winning 4011 Cloudburst Concrete, are the first surfaces in the UK portfolio available using our ICON technology; and further ICON surfaces will be launched before the end of Q2.
Q: Are there any other extensions to your portfolio retailers should know about?
A: Over the next 12-18 months, we will continue to transition more of our most in-demand surfaces to our ICON formulation, and where possible, extend the availability of these surfaces in the popular extra-large Jumbo slab format, particularly important for kitchen designers keen to make a statement with focal islands, full-height splashbacks or dramatic waterfall ends. In addition, we have new Porcelain countertop designs in innovative colourways arriving later this year.
