High levels of demand, £175billion of government-backed loans and job retention schemes, a tax ‘super deduction’ for capital investment and a growing confidence in the use of IT have encouraged firms to invest without waiting to see what is at Marmo+Mac as the live show returns to the fairground in Verona after the Covid hiatus.

Low carbon, low maintenance, sustainable stone has a lot to offer housing. And with the government having committed to adding 300,000 homes a year to the UK’s housing stock by the mid-2020s to try to solve a 4million home shortfall, there are opportunities for many sectors of the stone industry.