You can’t stop selling something people want just because there is no profit in it, says Stella Zambelis of stone machinery and consumables supplier D Zambelis. Some suppliers would think that was a very good reason to stop supplying a product. Not Stella.

The product she is talking about is mastic and because customers know D Zambelis stocks it, the company sells five or six pallets of it every month. Stella’s argument is that it keeps customers coming back and they don’t usually buy just mastic, but a whole range of other products, including the full range of ICR Sprint formulas for use with stone that are sold exclusively through Zambelis in the UK.

Sprint is for the trade. It does not go in for selling the same products in a variety of packaging for different uses, but assumes a certain level of understanding by its users. “It’s a good quality product at the right price,” says Stella. And as customers have continually come back for more in the 12 years that Zambelis has been selling Sprint, Stella has reason to believe they are satisfied with the products.

Of course, the formulations improve over time as a result of the Italian manufacturers’ research & development and new products are added to the range from time to time to keep up with the way stone is used – the latest is a liquid wax finish and colour enhancer that comes in versions for both polished and textured stone surfaces.