There has been good growth in the domestic kitchen and
bathroom worktops market in recent years. Between 2014 and 2017, the UK overall
worktops market is estimated to have grown by 13%. The worktops market has
performed fractionally better than in the kitchen furniture and overall
bathroom markets over the last few years, reflecting a shift to higher value
worktops and a trend for larger worktop areas, such as islands and peninsulas
with waterfall worktops.
Kitchen worktops account for 95% of the overall domestic
worktop market. Value growth has been slightly higher in the worktops market
than in the overall kitchen furniture market, reflecting a slow shift to more
expensive materials such as granite and solid surface, following the relatively
buoyant economic conditions over the last five years. This trend is continuing,
and it is expected that value growth in the worktop market will be slightly
ahead of the wider kitchen furniture market in the medium term.
The bathroom worktops market has followed a growth
pattern similar to the bathroom furniture market, mainly due to a lower level
of separate worktop replacements in this sector compared with the kitchen
sector. Overall, the bathroom worktops market has grown, due to factors such as
the increasing popularity of bathroom furniture, but as for kitchen worktops,
the market has also benefited from the use of more expensive materials,
including quartz, solid surface and granite surfaces, and features such as
worktops with integrated basins.
Laminates continue to dominate the kitchen worktops
market, making up just under half of all kitchen worktops installed by value,
and almost 75% by volume. However, the share of laminates has declined notably
in recent years, something which has been accelerated by the development of
stone and engineered stone products for worktops in bespoke installations.
In the bathroom worktops sector the material mix is
somewhat different. Laminates still dominate this market, making up over 60% of
material used in terms of value, followed by solid surface and composite
materials, whose shares has increased partly because of their flexibility in
structure. The rest of the market is made up by stone and other materials, but
so far, stone has not made the headway in this sector that it has in the
kitchen worktops market.
The UK kitchen worktop supply chain is complex, with
builders and plumbers’ merchants accounting for the largest distribution share
by value. This channel has grown significantly in recent years followed by the
retail kitchen specialists, while the DIY multiples sector has lost some market
share. The sale of kitchens with installation included is likely to continue to
increase, with many large suppliers now promoting this service.
Within the bathroom worktops market, builders and
plumbers’ merchants are also the major distribution channel, followed by
bathroom equipment specialists and DIY Multiples. One of the major differences
between the kitchen and bathroom worktops sectors is that within the bathroom
sector a larger proportion of worktops are incorporated into the furniture
itself.
“The market for
kitchen and bathroom worktops is expected to achieve reasonably good growth and
is forecast to increase by 21% in value terms between 2017 and 2022, although
the volume and price of imported materials is expected to account for a
proportion of that increase” said Hayley Thornley, Market Research
Manager at AMA Research.
“Kitchen worktops are
expected to account for around 15% of the total kitchen furniture market by the
end of the forecast period.”
The Domestic Kitchen and Bathroom Worktops
Market Report - UK 2018-2022 report is available now and
can be ordered online at www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242
235724.
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