declining, the number of ceramic tile distributors has fallen from a high of 1,376 in 2014 to a low of 1,241 today. The big are getting big- ger and the small are getting small- er, with large distributors expanding and small distributors shrinking. In terms of ceramic tile sales, 2018 was nearly flat, and the growth of LVT as well as flat residential construction will keep sales low in 2019 as well, Grosser predicted. BUSINESS TIP ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 38 TileLetter | July 2019