Market update

We are seeing more stable prices for Hydrosoft and Broste salt after substantial price increases in February 2011. Sufficient stocks are to hand to meet anticipated demand.

Higher UK energy prices are stimulating imports from outside the EU leaving question marks over provenence and purity, specially for those unbranded products made from sea salt rather than pure dried vacuum salt as a base. Issues reported include crystals "growing out" of tablets and welding together in brine tanks, and the familiar yellow / brown scum caused by impuities in the brine. This is bad news, specially for the high performance resins found in todays water softeners which demand high purity salt.

OUR ADVICE IS TO ENSURE THAT SALT FOR YOUR WATER SOFTENER COMPLIES WITH BS EN 973:2002. WE GUARANTEE THAT ALL OUR WATER SOFTENER SALT MEETS THIS STANDARD.

Block salt prices seem stable with no anticipated increase in Q1 2012.

Rock salt has much better availability this year with UK stocks higher than in previous years. This coupled with a warmer autumn means that we may see many disappointed "opportunistic sellers" who jumped in to the market last year dumping stock at rock bottom (pun intended!) prices to avoid summer carry over.