Sliema landmark changing hands
Joinwell to move showroom to Qormi
Joinwell has decided to lease out its premises in Sliema to a local businessman and to consolidate its activities on its Qormi site. The furniture company has occupied both sites for over 50 years. Director Martin Galea said that a full development application had been submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for the Lm2 million upgrade at Qormi, which will include an iconic three-storey, all glass showroom, as well as a circular tower, which will take up the area in front of the present day factory as well as part of the present workfloor.
"The Sliema High Street site is no longer suitable for a furniture showroom. Because the site there has a small footprint, we had to use four floors, which makes it hard to have a proper display. The new showroom in Qormi will have double the present area, most of it on a single floor," he said.
"The market is very competitive and we have to invest to keep in the game, if not ahead of the game. We have some excellent brands and furniture to display and this needs to be done professionally so as to attract the right type of customer. We feel that the new state-of-the-art showroom should do this. Having everything under one roof will also help us with logistics and control. We have been through many changes; consolidation will be a good move."
The 58-year-old company hopes to complete the new showroom by March 2008 at the latest, depending on the issue of the permit.
The company still manufactures, employing over 110 people down from over 300 in the 1970s, but its work increasingly focuses on contract and bespoke furniture. It formed part of the consortium that won the contract for the Corinthia hotel in Libya but has no major projects in the pipeline at the moment, its order books looking fairly healthy.
"We mechanised considerably over the years which meant that we needed less employees - and less space. It made sense to use our 26,000 square metre area more efficiently," he said.
"Our factory is also very well located near main arterial roads and close to main towns."
Joinwell also imports two main brands - Hulsta and Febal - and may add new brands in the future. "The market for imported furniture is very competitive. I believe that it is still very soft but it will stabilise within the next two years as importers realise that it is not such an easy sector," he said. "We may add new lines but we will stick to branded goods; we cannot compete on low priced furniture as there is simply not the volume. We have a reputation for good quality and it makes good sense to retain that."
"The Sliema High Street site is no longer suitable for a furniture showroom. Because the site there has a small footprint, we had to use four floors, which makes it hard to have a proper display. The new showroom in Qormi will have double the present area, most of it on a single floor," he said.
"The market is very competitive and we have to invest to keep in the game, if not ahead of the game. We have some excellent brands and furniture to display and this needs to be done professionally so as to attract the right type of customer. We feel that the new state-of-the-art showroom should do this. Having everything under one roof will also help us with logistics and control. We have been through many changes; consolidation will be a good move."
The 58-year-old company hopes to complete the new showroom by March 2008 at the latest, depending on the issue of the permit.
The company still manufactures, employing over 110 people down from over 300 in the 1970s, but its work increasingly focuses on contract and bespoke furniture. It formed part of the consortium that won the contract for the Corinthia hotel in Libya but has no major projects in the pipeline at the moment, its order books looking fairly healthy.
"We mechanised considerably over the years which meant that we needed less employees - and less space. It made sense to use our 26,000 square metre area more efficiently," he said.
"Our factory is also very well located near main arterial roads and close to main towns."
Joinwell also imports two main brands - Hulsta and Febal - and may add new brands in the future. "The market for imported furniture is very competitive. I believe that it is still very soft but it will stabilise within the next two years as importers realise that it is not such an easy sector," he said. "We may add new lines but we will stick to branded goods; we cannot compete on low priced furniture as there is simply not the volume. We have a reputation for good quality and it makes good sense to retain that."