Granite and Marble Market Research report is devoted to granite and marble market. While working on the research, the activity of a number of companies in Moscow and St. Petersburg was explored, major processes, going on in the market of natural stone at present, were analyzed.

For Russia natural stone remain an ambiguous material. On the one hand, many administration buildings and cultural sites were built, using granite and marble in Tsar Russia. On the other hand, the tradition of stone processing and usage was forgotten during Soviet regime. At that time it was necessary to build cheaply, that’s why stone facing was used only in construction of administrative buildings. All goods from natural stone were strictly funded; tombstones were sold to citizens in compliance with special official permission. The same was not only with goods made of stone but with the raw materials and equipment for processing it.

Besides in USSA granite and marble were flashed, but not quarried, that’s why got blocks had microcracks. Given technology is still the most widely spread in Russia, and it, in its turn, has a negative influence on consumer characteristics of the stone. For example, there is a restriction on application of the granite and marble facing tile quarried this way.

Stone market was liberalized in 90th after adjusting new economic system. It is quarrying companies, which in the first place started to determine price and assortment policy themselves. Gradually, on the market there formed a class of trading companies, which are transforming now into a class of commercial and industrial companies.

Thus, natural stone can be said to be a relatively new type of finishing material not only for a private but for a corporate consumer as well.

Major tendencies and changes for the period since the last report updating.
- Preservation of market growth slowdown tendency.
- Reduction of demand on Russian stone on home market as well as on foreign market.
- Increase of import production share in natural stone consumption.
- China has become an absolute leader on the Russian market of granite and goods made of marble.
- In the greatest segment of natural stone consumption – in finishing tile – demand on production of European producers (Italy and Spain) has increased.
- Increase of competition on the side of artificial stone (stoneware granite, moulded marble, sinter, acrylic stone).
- Production volumes of coarse finish surface fall, priority area for production companies is various goods production.
- On the average trading companies and commercial and industrial companies have experienced assortment extension (many firms started offering remarkably large assortment of granite as well as of marble).
- Seasonal sales of definite items and remainders from the warehouse as well as discounts to frequent customers have become the most popular promotional approach.

Marketing research of Russian market of marble and granite contents
1. Introduction
2. Definitions
2.1. General information about granite and marble. Spheres of application
2.2. Types of production
2.3. Types of surface finish
3. World market of natural stone
3.1. Natural stone quarrying
3.2. World market of raw material
3.3. World market of manufactured goods (items)
3.4. World market of granite
3.5. World market of marble
4. Russian market of natural stone
4.1. Quarrying industry
4.1.1. Regional structure of natural stone quarrying
4.2. Granite deposits
4.2.1. Marble deposits
4.2.2. Russian market of natural stone competitive ability
4.3. General information about the market
4.4. Marble export
4.4.1. Blocks
4.4.2. Slabs
4.4.3. Manufactured goods
4.5. Marble import
4.5.1. Blocks
4.5.2. Slabs
4.5.3. Facing tile
4.5.4. Manufactured goods
4.6. Granite export
4.7. Granite import
4.7.1. Blocks
4.7.2. Slabs
4.7.3. Facing tile
4.7.4. Goods
4.8. Demand characteristics. Major consumers
5. Market participants
5.1. Market structure
5.2. Assortment
5.3. Price competition
5.4. Services
5.5. Marketing activity
6. Price analysis. Production and services
6.1. Blocks
6.2. Slabs
6.3. Tile
6.4. Goods
6.5. Services
6.6. Notes and additions
7. Review of building sector of Moscow and St. Petersburg
7.1. Elite housing stock
7.2. Commercial estate
8. Sphere of application analysis
8.1. Frontal systems
8.1.1. Current situation in the market
8.1.2. Substitution goods
8.1.3. New technologies of fronts building using granite tile
8.2. Interior design
8.2.1. Current situation in the market
8.2.2. Facing tile. Substitute goods
8.2.3. Shaped objects. Substitution goods
8.3. Landscape design
9. Equipment
10. Conclusions from the report on Marketing research of Russian market of granite and marble
Appendix 1. Natural stone output volume in separate countries
Appendix 2. Foreign raw material trade
Appendix 3. Foreign natural stone manufacture goods trade
Appendix 4. Foreign granite trade
Appendix 5. Foreign marble trade
Appendix 6. Physicochemical properties of Russian granite
Appendix 7. Physicochemical properties of Russian deposits marble
Appendix 8. Large Web-sites on building
Appendix 9. Specialized magazines on natural stone
Appendix 10. List of Russian and international exhibitions on natural stone