an interview with Alexis Vella Falzon; Managing Director, Vella Falzon Group
An innate businessman, Alexis Vella Falzon has tirelessly worked his way up from the shop floor of his family business to his current position as Managing Director.
Vella Falzon Home is the latest venture of the Vella Falzon Group.
Design & Build caught up with Mr Alexis Vella Falzon, who prides the Company as a source of guaranteed quality.
One of our key qualities is that we only sell products imported by ourselves,” said Alexis Vella Falzon as we started the interview. This principle is applied across the board including in turnkey projects undertaken by the Group’s operating company Vella Falzon Building Supplies Ltd: “anything we supply and install is a direct import of the company. This”, said Mr Vella Falzon, “ensures quality overview and enables the Company to assume full control over works carried out.” Mr Vella Falzon conveys that he is driven by a commitment to quality and his ambition is to continue to develop the Company’s product line to become Malta’s veritable one stop shop for home finishing and furnishing.
Legacy business
The Vella Falzon Group is no newcomer to business. Mr Vella Falzon is a member of the fourth generation in this family business established in 1922 and took the reins of the Company from his father Alex some 25 years ago. “It’s one hundred years of us next year,” observed Mr Vella Falzon. The origins are down to a matriarch, Carmela Falzon, the great-grandmother of the present Managing Director. She had a small shop in Valletta where one could buy household items and related hardware and ironmongery goods. This was just after the First World War. Over time, her two sons took over the business, which was renamed G & S Falzon, initialing the names of the brothers George and Stanley.
“The Vella Falzon Group is no newcomer to business. Mr Vella Falzon is a member of the fourth generation in this family business established in 1922”
In the early 1970’s the Company started importing paints and acquired an equity stake in a paint manufacturing plant set up by Berger Paints in Malta. Mr Vella Falzon explained that while this association was divested following a subsequent division of the business, the Company made important inroads into the local distribution market for paints and hardware products during that time; a position it still holds with other products including imported paints: “Today we import paint, together with a vast range of other building and hardware products and we do not participate in the manufacture of paints,” he added.
At about the same period, the Company started importing bathrooms and ceramics.
“They used to come packed in hay to prevent breakages,” smiled Mr Vella Falzon.
“Meanwhile,” he added, “as the business grew, so did the family, and during my father’s tenure as Managing Director, he took the business through two separate divisions, and today the Vella Falzon Group is owned by my immediate family.”
Mr Vella Falzon underlines one basic concept for survival: continuous development and diversification.
Forward vision
“This concept of Vella Falzon Home is something I wanted from the word go,” said Mr Vella Falzon. He said that for this he wanted a showroom that was very different from what was available on the market, “…and I hope it is what we have managed to achieve,” he added. His aim is to give the customer a holistic experience; to give visitors to the showroom a real and physical walk through the rooms of a home that could be their own. “It gives you a feel of what your home could look and feel like,” explained Mr Vella Falzon.
As with many an innovative idea, beginnings are always tough. Mr Vella Falzon recalls that at first it was evident that people were somewhat perplexed by the experience but this was mainly due to the fact that the name “Vella Falzon” had for a long time been associated exclusively with bathrooms and ceramics. As a mater of fact, the bathrooms and ceramics are still there: they are just part of something bigger.
Notwithstanding the huge portfolio expansion, Vella Falzon Home has remained strong on the provision of quality bathrooms, ceramics and tiles.
“People soon realised that we are still into ceramics: we have over 120 pull-out boards with different styles, colours and textures,” explained Mr Vella Falzon. To add to this, the Company’s prestigious portfolio of products includes wall and floor tile collections, bathroom taps, mixers and furniture, mirrors, bathroom accessories, sanitary ware, kitchens, bedrooms, sofas and armchairs, and a myriad of other home items.”
Strategic Alliances
The concept of providing a finished home experience was further achieved through various strategic alliances. Mr Vella Falzon said that a collaboration was formed with another company in Malta, Design House, which provides soft furnishings which complement the products sold by Vella Falzon Building Supplies. “These are the final touches, the dressing up, which makes all the difference,” said Mr Vella Falzon, describing it as a shop inside a shop.
Asked about the Company’s legacy association with paint distribution, Mr Vella Falzon said that this association continues. Today the Company supplies residential, commercial and public projects with a vast range of paints including specialised products which are odourless, mould and bacteria resistant and which release no compounds into the air. Sourced from Monto Paints, a Spanish company, Mr Vella Falzon said that the association with this premium manufacturer was established some 20 years ago and the relationship with Vella Falzon Building Supplies has been strong ever since. Mapei, a leader in the construction materials, is also a key brand within the Vella Falzon portfolio. Vella Falzon Building Supplies has been the exclusive local representative of Mapei for over 45 years:
“We are the sole agents and that has helped us throughout the years as we met the challenges to changing people’s minds on new materials and new products,” said Mr Vella Falzon.
With years of experience as well as ongoing training for the latest innovations of building materials and products within the construction industry, the Company offers specialised advice to ensure the use of the right product for any given project from the endless range of products on offer from Mapei.
A multi-national approach
Established in 1922, Vella Falzon Group is one of the longest-standing Group of Companies involved in the bathroom, flooring, furniture, and building industry markets in Malta. Black Red White (BRW) is one of Vella Falzon’s portfolio of brands; one of Poland’s largest furniture group and home furnishings. RAK ceramics and Strohm Teka are two other brands specialising in ceramic and gres porcelain wall tiles, floor tiles and sanitary ware, offering bathroom solutions in all their product categories. Created with one objective in mind, Vella Falzon Group aims to become the leading provider of proven premium products.
Clearly, Vella Falzon Group’s vision is multi-national in its sourcing approach, working solely with brands that are as reliable as they are fashionable; made from quality materials and which are efficient. Their supply ranges from the EU and European countries to further afield such as the United Arab Emirates. He said that the Emirates, while not subject to EU regulations are striving to actually surpass them in terms of quality. “Suppliers in these regions are subject to quality and environmental regulations which are at times even more rigorous than those of their European counterparts,” he explained.
In the furniture space, the key brand within the Vella Falzon range is Nolte which is one of the top 7 world brands for kitchens. A German brand, Mr Vella Falzon describes this supplier as a reliable and top quality producer. “Germany and Poland”, he added, “are optimum sources for furniture products.”
Their all-encompassing range of products means that Vella Falzon Group can work very effectively with a variety of customers; those with the largest projects to the smaller individual customers or contractors. Mr Vella Falzon said that the Company’s portfolio caters to meet anyone’s means, having a wide selection of products encompassing in turn a wide price range.
Working responsibly
Environmental impact is also high on the Vella Falzon agenda. Mr Vella Falzon said that today, to tender for projects one has to prove, not just claim, that the products are environmentally safe and have been manufactured in an environmentally compliant manner.
Mr Vella Falzon emphasised his commitment to the environment, particularly his beloved sea, adding that he also recently moved from a fossil fuel car to an electric car on principle. He added that the Company also makes sure that it recycles as much waste as possible. “We split our residual material by type, to be properly recyclable. We do not simply lump everything into one container and send to landfills,” insisted Mr Vella Falzon.
The personal touch
Quality assurance is not something which Mr Vella Falzon takes lightly. He does not rely on glorified catalogues to choose the Group’s products, but insists on personal visits to suppliers he has his eye on. “In this way you not only get a strong understanding of the brand, but more so a good understanding of the manufacturer’s modi operandi and values.”
The Company tests products thoroughly before releasing them onto the market. The Projects Department within Vella Falzon Building Supplies handles installations. This is a technical team which can deal with project management, implementation of architectural designs and handling technical matters. Mr Vella Falzon said that over the past year the team has worked on three hotels, two of which have been completed. “We are still working on the Fortina Hotel for which we practically provided a turn-key solution,” said Mr Vella Falzon. He said that while competition is fierce, the Company’s cost-effective solutions, the integrity of its brands and the fact that the customer had a positive history with Vella Falzon, was important to land such an important project.
Well Stocked
With a business of this sort, the clincher is the service and a major factor of good service lies in being well-stocked. Mr Vella Falzon said that the Group holds over 4,000 sqm of warehousing and is looking to expand so substantial stock is always available. What is not in stock can be brought over within a maximum of eight weeks but if urgent, can be ferried over by truck in as little as 10 days.
Covid-19 has caused unwanted shipping and supply chain delays. However, Mr Vella Falzon observed that the pandemic has also brought with it an increased awareness of the importance of the home environment. He said that money which was not spent on trips abroad was re-directed to home improvements. “As a result, when compared to other businesses, thankfully our business has not really been adversely affected,” Mr Vella Falzon confidently explained.
Conclusion
Another important clue to the success of this Company is the way succession was planned and managed. The company went through two separate divisions during its lifetime already in order to address eventual succession issues.
When Mr Vella Falzon’s father handed over the reins to him over 25 years ago. he immediately proceeded to read for his MBA to bolster his readiness for the challenge. As Managing Director, he was certainly well equipped. Mr Vella Falzon described his early work: “there is very little I have not done in this line of work,” he reminisced.
These experiences have stood him in good stead and have been integral to the business expansion of the family concern as he ventured into new areas such as property development and hotels. Alexis is planning his next career move: “ I hardly know how to stand still; my mind is always racing and I am always thinking of the next move with an eye on the market and an ear for customer needs,” concluded Mr Vella Falzon.
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