Amachris: 20 years of delivering world-class retail spaces

Maintaining a focus on the customer, and remaining dedicated to core competencies and beliefs allows leading Canadian retail construction build specialists to continue growing // By Sean Tarry

Achieving success within any business venture today is proving to be an extremely tall order. A disruptive confluence of shifting market dynamics, a volatile economy and ever-intensifying competition has helped to create an incredibly turbulent climate for most industries to navigate, requiring businesses to build nimble strategies that allow them to operate optimally amid such adversity. They are conditions that are challenging the resolve of many, making efforts to sustain any kind of success nearly impossible. It’s a sentiment that resonates with players operating within most sectors around the world, but one that rings especially true when referring to the retail industry and its supporting partners, resulting in milestones for any company becoming extremely special and, indeed, highly unique. It’s what makes the growing legacy of leading retail construction specialist, Amachris, so compelling. The company is currently celebrating its twentieth anniversary as it continues to maintain its positive trajectory, enhancing its reputation further with each project that it embarks on. It’s a feat that’s recognized by Franco Pignotti, the company’s Founder, Owner and Managing Director, and one that he says drives him and his team to improve every day.

“I had the idea to start the company more than twenty years ago as my contract with a former employer was running down,” he explains. “And, to be honest with you, it was really spurred on by the fact that I was at a bit of a professional crossroads. I had the choice of going through a renegotiating process to earn another contract, or, going out to do business on my own. I was 42 years old at the time. I figured if I took on another contract, then I’d likely never take the leap. So, after a lot of reflection and encouragement from my family, I decided to go for it. And what can I say? We’ve never looked back. I’m incredibly proud to be celebrating this amazing milestone, and to do so while we’re still building on our successes. It’s something that everyone at the company recognizes. And we tend to use it as a way to push ourselves to continuously improve and get better for our clients.”

A specialty service offering

It’s a mindset that drives Amachris, leveraging its laurels as catapults to further achieve, rather than rest on them. However, success was not an immediate result for Franco and his team. Having previously worked for iDX Corporation, a non-compete stipulation was invoked for the first year of Amachris’ operations as a company, meaning that Franco had to grow the business from the ground up. With a clear vision for the company, a ton of dedication, and hard work to help bring it to fruition, the legacy of the leading retail construction specialist was started.

“I had gained a lot of experience working within the interior design and construction world, and noticed that there was a real need for these types of services among brands within the retail industry,” he says. “I felt as though I could start the company that caters to those clients, becoming a leader in the space. But, to do this with the greatest impact possible, I knew that we needed to specialize within the luxury brand segment. The interior look and aesthetic, and the functionality of these spaces, is incredibly important to these brands. It wasn’t long before I realized that we were really on to something. There was a significant gap within the industry. and Amachris filled it by consistently delivering positive results and the highest quality projects, on time, and with a high value proposition.”

Personalized relationships

Personalized relationships

The company, headquartered in Bolton, Ontario, boasts a healthy array of clients across the industry, including Sephora, Gucci, Ferragamo, Saint Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Urban Barn, Marc Jacobs, Abercrombie & Fitch, and more. And, the services that it provides its clients are just as impressive, including general construction services and project management. In addition, the company will also act as landlord liaison for its clients, and will often interact with leading retail architects and brand designers when coordinating and installing layout and material specifications. It’s all part of what Franco describes as the company’s customer-centric approach to business. And, it’s one that he believes has helped to set Amachris apart from its competitors throughout the years.

“Everyone operating within this industry would like to think that they’re interacting with and servicing their clients in unique and special ways,” he explains. “But, as I found through experience, it’s very difficult to perform that type of job and deliver the kind of personalized service to clients while working within a corporate structure. I found that there are too many processes and procedures within corporations that actually prevent this type of service. There are also often too many layers within these organizations, especially within those that service multiple industries and sectors, holding up response times and work from being done. I wanted to make sure that our company was flat with respect to the number of layers within it, and that each and every one of our clients can reach the president if they need to, without the need to go up and down the hierarchy of our organization trying to find a solution to a problem. It allows us to remain close to our partners, properly service their needs, and immediately jump into action whenever there’s an issue that needs addressing.”

Heart and integrity

It’s this personalized, hands-on way of working with clients that has clearly paid dividends for Amachris over the years. It’s something that Franco explains makes clients feel looked after and appreciated. It’s a sentiment that his daughter, and the company’s Manager of Marketing and Business Development, Alessia Pignotti, agrees with, sharing an anecdote about her father that seems to poignantly and effectively capture the spirit and essence of the Amachris brand and relationships that it’s built with partners.

“I obviously have a unique perspective of Franco given the fact that he’s my dad,” she says. “I remember when I was younger and there was talk within the family about him starting his own business. Trying to be as efficient as possible, he did something that speaks volumes to his character and the foundation on which Amachris was built. When he realized that he needed a desk for his office, rather than go out and buy one, he decided to make one with his own hands instead. Looking back on that moment in time, that simple act says a lot about Franco as a leader, and also reflects the values of the company. Conceptually, this is the level of integrity, passion, and quality that extend into everything we do for our fantastic clients.”

A strong culture

They’re qualities that the company’s Founder and President says have been borne at least in part as a result of the fact that Amachris is a wholly-owned, family-run Canadian business. He says it’s allowed him and his team to remain focused on consistently delivering around their core competencies and beliefs. However, in order to maintain focus, he points out that a great deal of emphasis and importance must be placed on the culture that’s developed within an organization.

“We strongly believe that an excellent culture is essential toward ensuring long-term success,” he asserts. “And, because we’re a family-run business, every employee that works for us becomes a member of the family, whether they like it or not. It’s a significant part of the reason why finding the right people to fill roles within our company is such a crucial component to sustaining our continued growth. A strong culture organically strengthens connections between coworkers, and as a result, it also helps to strengthen the relationships we build with our clients. In addition, it makes it easier for us internally to figure out what resources are needed and the ways we can pull them together so everyone in the company thrives within their roles. It’s something that we’re constantly trying to improve. That’s why finding talent who are a great fit within our culture is extremely important.”

Continued growth and success

When reflecting on the past 20-plus years in business, it seems relatively easy for industry analysts, even for the casual observer, to identify a number of projects that have helped to define

Amachris as an industry leader. Projects like its first Urban Barn build in 2005 (client for 19 years); it’s first Abercrombie & Fitch build in 2009 (client for 15 years); the Sephora “Toronto Takeover” in 2016 (client for 13 years), which included the building of six flagship stores within the city in six months; as well as builds for a number of different luxury brands, including Sephora/LVMH, Gucci, YSL, Ferragamo, and Giorgio Armani (each a client for the past 5 years), have placed the company in a category of its own, When listening to Franco, it seems that Amachris is set to continue building on its already incredibly impressive legacy.

“Looking back at the past twenty years, and all of the successful projects that we’ve been involved in, fills me with pride. But, in many ways, it almost seems as though we’re only getting started. We’ve done enough to this point to solidify our place as a leader within the luxury retail space. And our goal going forward is to continue looking for exceptional international clients to partner with, growing on the basis of honesty, integrity and hard work that we built the company more than two decades ago.”