7 minute read
Major boost for Ascot and Dom
mal trend despite the markets were We remain focused on running an directly with users on design issues. severely impacted. efficient and profitable business, In Italy we have just launched a new Following the end of the lockdown, protecting our growth in the UAE, e-commerce portal and are developwe implemented a phased apIndia, and Bangladesh and pro- ing new product presentation tools to proach to reopening operations in gressing our growth plans in Saudi support our sales network through reBangladesh, where we have seen an Arabia. We will also look to diver- mote meetings. increase in sales. sify and improve profitability in key Credit for all of this goes to our marIn other markets, we have been pur- export markets. We are focused on keting department, which has once suing a development project in re- implementing measures to limit the again demonstrated its ability to recent months to exploit available po- impact of Covid-19 on our tablewa- spond with great professionalism. tential and opportunities. re business. I should add that we are the first comTile International: What about In- pany in the world to have adopted a dia, where you are one of the leading remote product development system sanitaryware manufacturers and where you started up that allows us to carry through projects for new collecyour third slab production plant last year? tions in collaboration with partners and suppliers all A. Massaad: Here too, government-imposed lock- over the world, overcoming difficulties caused by travdowns had a significant impact, but we are pleased to el restrictions. see that the market is showing signs of recovery. Tile International: Before the pandemic, RAK CeOur operations across India began reopening from the ramics was investing in an expansion of its international start of June. Production in our Samalkot plant is cur- presence by opening new showrooms in various counrently running at approximately 50% capacity to meet tries. Are you maintaining the timing of these openings? reduced demand. Our first plant in Morbi is operating L. De Muro: After opening the showroom in Riyadh at 100% capacity, as is the second plant producing our and planning an upcoming opening in Jeddah, we conMaximus Mega Slab tiles following its opening in July. tinued with our plan to renovate all the showrooms in In addition to this, our trading and manufacturing busi- the UAE and some of the locations will soon be comness in India has improved to near pre-Covid levels. pleted. As for Europe, we will have some news to anTile International: Right from the onset of the crisis, nounce shortly. you reacted swiftly by deploying alternative marketing Tile International: In 2019 the European market actools and sales channels to support your customers. counted for 16.5% of your total turnover. What kind of Can you tell us about these new tools? presence do you have in the region? Leonardo De Muro: First, I must stress just how impor- L. De Muro: Europe has always been a strategic martant close relationships are for this sector. I simply can- ket for RAK Ceramics. While the market is obviously not imagine a socially distant future for our business. dominated by Italian and Spanish players, we have a Relationships with agents, distributors, dealers, devel- strong and well-established presence in both the tile opers and designers all over the world are based on and sanitaryware sectors. We have three separate but face-to-face meetings. It’s in the nature of the product coordinated hubs serving the entire continent: in Italy that we need in-person events such as trade fairs and for Southern and Eastern Europe, in Germany for Cenmeetings where potential buyers can actually touch tral and Northern Europe and in the UK for the British the surfaces and finishes and get a direct, physical idea market. of the quality of a new product. Having said this, the ex- Tile International: Product innovation is another key perience has irreversibly changed the way we do busi- aspect for supporting growth and consolidating your ness. For this reason, we immediately devoted all our brand’s reputation. What are you working on at the energies to organising initiatives such as the “show- moment? room virtual tour” (we had already launched virtual re- L. De Muro: We had been planning a series of major ality tools at ISH 2018), as well as expanding our ac- product innovations in 2020 and at Cersaie 2019 had tions through our social media profiles, including pres- already presented a number of new products. These entations of new products via webinars and engaging included large slabs with new sizes and finishes, the
High Performances line of technical porcelain stoneware products and, above all, the translucent Luce slab, a completely new and exclusive product. Not to mention the bathroom furniture segment, where collaborations with international designers have led to the creation of smart sanitaryware collections with unique functions. But the really big innovation came during the lockdown when we launched RAK-Sanit, a new range of antibacterial solu-
New products are large slabs with
new sizes and finishes, the High Performances
line of technical
porcelain stoneware products and,
above all, the translucent Luce
slab, a completely new and exclusive product. Not to mention the ba-
throom furniture segment, where
collaborations with international
designers have led to the creation
of smart sanitaryware collections.
tions for floors, walls and sanitaryware. RAK-Sanit is made with a special antibacterial glaze certified to ISO and JPN international standards which is applied during the production process and is 99.9% effective against the proliferation of bacteria. Tests carried out in light and darkness show that the product is activated in just 8 hours, a complete innovation for the sector and another record for RAK Ceramics. ✕
On 1 March this year, Ceramiche Ascot (Castelvetro, Modena - Italy) became part of the Victoria PLC group, the flooring multinational listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market. It was the fifth tile producer to be acquired by the UK-based group in just over two years and the second in Italy. The first, Ceramiche Serra, was acquired in November 2017 followed by the Spanish companies Keraben, Saloni and Ibero. This latest Italian acquisition brings the proforma annual turnover of Victoria PLC’s ceramics division to
around 350 million euros and its total production capacity to approximately 45 million sqm/year. As for the Italian Business Unit, Victoria PLC Italy, the acquisition of Ascot has not only boosted efforts to strengthen and reposition the Ascot and Dom brands, but will probably be followed by further operations given Victoria’s potential and willingness to invest. We spoke to Andrea Bordignon, CEO of Ascot Group and Ceramiche Serra, and Simone Gentili, General and Sales Manager.
Tile International: Mr Bordignon, what is the current state of the Victoria Italia division? Andrea Bordignon: The acquisition of Ceramiche Ascot follows a collaboration contract signed in the summer of 2019 and is of strategic value for Victoria for two reasons. Firstly, it allows us to increase production capacity in Italy, which is still insufficient despite the startup of a new line at Ceramiche Serra in 2018. Secondly, we will acquire two brands and a product range that are complementary to those of Ceramiche Serra in terms of positioning and market presence. In recent years, Serra has seen strong, continuous growth thanks to its exceptional production efficiency and precise market positioning. It is our key brand for the large European and North American distribution chains and remains one of the few players in the spray-dried red body segment, where it enjoys a leadership position with premium priced products. In this market segment it is without Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.itquestion the strongest Italian company in Eastern Europe, including the Balkans, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Hungary. It can boast longstanding customer relationships and ensures an outstanding level of service. It will now also be able to offer higher value products such as the new porcelain tile range, which is seeing sharp growth. To give you an idea of Serra’s potential, the company has maintained 30% year-on-year growth through 2020 despite the pandemic, and its 10 million sqm/year capacity continues to be insufficient to meet demand. Tile International: Ascot and Dom operate in very different product segments. Simone Gentili: Yes, that’s true, and it’s largely due to the hard work we have been doing in recent months to give the two brands a precise and clearly differentiated identity. Today Ascot is our generic brand name for tradition combined with innovation and offers a complete
WHO ARE VICTORIA PLC?
Victoria PLC has industrial and commercial oper-
ations ranging from ceramic and porcelain tiles
to carpet, LVT and underlay. It has 20 manufacturing sites in the UK, Europe and Australia and
employs approximately 2,600 people. Its rapid ex-
pansion in the ceramic sector is part of an organ-
ic growth strategy aimed at diversifying and in-
ternationalising its operations with a view to be-
coming a multinational flooring group.
