Page 1 of 2
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:11 pm
by ken
Have any other users of Tobermore concrete products had there prices increased by 20% since 1st of January?
I switched to Tobermore from Marshall’s in 2004 because there prices were much cheaper and the products a better quality than Marshall’s. But now times are harder and customers are more price conscious than ever, I feel I will be laying Marshall’s gear again very soon as Marshall’s prices of like for like products are around £3 per m2 cheaper than Tobermore. I know it’s not a massif price difference but I can’t help thinking they have shot them self’s in the foot, at worst they should have matched Marshall’s prices.
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:22 pm
by bobbi o
Bitumen prices up £64 per tonne from 1st Feb,which usually relates to the oil increase which will affect all industrys.another squeeze on margins is not what we need this year,as its not easy in the current climate to increase your prices.
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:15 pm
by Pablo
Tobermore usually do their price hikes in April over here and I've not seen any rise yet but they've frozen their prices for 4 years running now so I wouldn't be surprised if it was on the cards. 20% is a fair whack all right and if that puts it close to Marshalls then it's a no brainer because they're much better quality wise. What are you paying anyway I can get 60mm Tegula for £14.25 Shannon £11.25 and Pedesta £10.20 +vat but delivery is included.
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:35 pm
by ken
20% more than you! Delivery is 70 quid, and if they have to split packs there’s an extra 60 quid charge.
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:40 pm
by lutonlagerlout
cannot compare NI and the NW
different business costings
I flit between suppliers down here as few ever keep to their word
gibbs and dandys are the cheapest right now,but next week it could be butterfields or jewsons
all depends how their rep feels about deals
shop around ken,tell them you will leave etc etc
LLL
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:32 pm
by Injured
Ken change your supplier. I get mine from Lunts heath and there no delivery charge and no charge for spliting packs plus they have most in stock.
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:50 pm
by local patios and driveway
We get free delivery, no charge for splitting packs, currently using a fair bit of the brett trade blocks at 9.50 pm
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:25 pm
by pickwell paving
Have you tried plaspave blocks Ken? We use them quite a bit, reasonable price and excellent quality. Agree with you about Marshall's very overpriced and most of their range is poor quality. We use Natural Paving quite a lot too, again reasonable price and good quality.
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:36 am
by lutonlagerlout
marshalls poor quality?? ???
I would rate marshalls/stonemarket as top quality, albeit expensive
no penetration from tobermore down here so cannot comment
LLL
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:36 pm
by pickwell paving
The Saxon and eclipse range is good stuff, every time we get driveline 50's we get at least 20+ blocks that are broke in half or damaged beyond use and there so soft you've got no chance with a splitter. Last lot of Tegulas we had were like rejects the small units were at least 5mm thinner than the other sizes the colours were awful and again quite soft. We did a patio just over 300m2 in fairstone and there were so many that were twisted out of shape, bowed beyond belief and loads of the small ones were almost an inch out of square they sent one of there rigids out we nearly filled it with rejected slabs.
Can't comment much on the rest of the range because we don't really use them, partly because of the issues mentioned but mainly because of the ridiculous pricing.
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:39 pm
by pickwell paving
And don't get me started on weatherpoint!! Haha 
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:57 pm
by ken
I haven’t used plaspave for a while, but im going to look into how there prices compare to other manufactures gear.
LLL, I always rated marshall’s as top quality, until I used tobermore. My issue with marshall’s is there keyblock and tegular quality went down hill over night. The blocks looked like they were made from rice krispies and all ways full of efflorescence. They may have sorted that problem out now, but it’s a big risk too take laying some ones drive to find out there still crap and end up with a load of arse ache.
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:56 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i have only ever laid stonemarket slabs (IMHO the millstone in olde london colour range are the nuts in reconstituted) and the high end blocks pavers
i.e. drivesett duo and tegula
saying that I havent done any recently
I normally use brett 60s for bog standard drives purely because I never have and never will like 50mm block paving
LLL
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:20 pm
by Hawk
At the moment were using Hanson Formpave blocks,
they have been specified because apparently they are 70%
recycled, got 15000 m2 to go down over 2 years, were half way through it now and have had no truble whatsoever with them, they are as hard as nails, cut brilliant with a splitter, and the thickness of the blocks are all uniform, cant ask for more than that
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:30 pm
by pickwell paving
No one round this way stocks Formpave always wandered what they were like, seen a brochure and it looks like they do some nice stuff. We use a lot of Charcon's Europa on our commercial jobs there not bad blocks either.