After nearly a decade of prosperity, the stone industry is still predicting increased success for both the short-term and the long-term. An overwhelming majority of respondents to Stone World's recent market study predicted that the industry will continue to grow in the coming year. This -- coupled with the increased popularity of natural stone among consumers -- will result in significant investment by fabricators in 2001.
Of those that answered the survey, which was sent primarily to stone fabricators, 77.8% expected the stone market to increase in 2001. Only 3.0% predicted a decrease for next year, and 19.2% said that business stayed the same. Looking down the road, respondents were even more confident -- as 83.2% predicted an increase in business over the next 5 to 10 years. Only 4.2% of those polled felt the market would decrease over that period, and 12.6% predicted that it would hold steady.