News in Brief | February 2020

News

October Xiamen Show

The China Xiamen International Stone Fair will now be held on Oct. 27-30, with an online version starting June 6. The world’s largest hard-surfaces event, held in Xiamen, China, has been delayed twice in 2020 due to Covid-19 concerns.

Coverings Goes Digital

The online Coverings Connected event will be held April 20-23, with educational webinars and digital meetings for exhibitors and attendees. The event will take place on the same dates as the cancelled analog trade show scheduled for New Orleans.

LG Hausys Expands

LG Hausys America increases its presence in North America with a third Breton S.p.A. quartz-slab production line at its U.S. factory complex in Adairsville, Ga. The U.S. arm of the Korean-based conglomerate LG Corp. also opens a Southern California warehouse/showroom.

India Industry Idle

Natural stone quarrying and procession grinds to a halt in India, as its main customer for blocks -- China -- stops importing as it fights Covid-19. Quarry workers are hit hard with no work and their own country's lockdown.

Tile Tariffs Advance

Massive U.S. tariffs on Chinese ceramic tile move closer to permanent policy, as the federal Commerce Department recommends duties up to 700% of declared customs value. The U.S. International Trade Commission will issue a final ruling in mid-May.

U.S. C'top Demand Up

A study (undertaken before the Covid-19 pandemic) shows U.S. countertop demand growing by 2.8% per year to 932 million ft² and a $42 billion value in 2024. The research also picks quartz surfaces as the fastest-growing surface material in the next four years, with increasing consumer interest in porcelain slab and butcher-block surfaces.