STN Group maintains strong growth

The Spanish ceramic group closed 2024 with growth rates above the national industry average and confirmed a very positive first quarter for 2025.

A major player in both the European and global ceramic tile industries, STN Group consists of five companies based in Spain’s Castellón district – STN Ceramica, Alaplana, KTL, Vitacer and the recently founded VENUX. Owned by the Aparici family, the group has an annual production capacity of over 113 million sqm. Despite a double-digit drop in Spain’s national output, the group maintained stable production volumes of 85 million sqm in 2023 and strengthened its market position.

It continued its positive performance in 2024, even as the Spanish tile industry experienced a slight decline in total revenues (€4.8 billion, -0.9%) and a modest 1.3% rise in output to 399 million sqm.

“Last year, STN Group achieved strong sales results in both volume and value, with year-on-year growth rates above the Spanish industry average,” says General Manager Juan Carlos Barbera. “This allowed us to further increase our market share. All the regions in which we operate saw growth, except for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and a few other European countries where the challenging economic climate made it hard to maintain previous results.”

The group posted positive results again in the first quarter of 2025.

“The Spanish tile industry saw average growth of close to 10% in the first quarter, with especially strong increases in exports to the US, Israel and Morocco. STN Group’s results were in line with this trend, so it was a very positive quarter for us. That said, I would note that part of the growth in US sales was due to front-loading, as many American customers brought orders forward to January and February to avoid the risk of tariffs. For that reason, it may prove hard to sustain the same pace of growth in the coming months”, adds Barbera.

We spoke to Juan Carlos Barbera at Coverings in Orlando, which provided an opportunity to delve into the current trends and outlook for the American market amidst uncertainties such as tariffs and Indian competition.

All five STN Group companies were present at Coverings with their own booths, including VENUX, whose “Glacier” installation won the “Best Display” award.

Read the complete interview published in Ceramic World Review no. 161