Bridgepoint’s impeccable showroom in Psaila Street, St Venera is uniquely devoted to all things that deliver and present water. It is as common an occurrence to witness contractors confidently dishing out their orders to the Bridgepoint crew as much as seeing couples, young and old, happily browsing their slew of striking ranges while sipping an espresso.
An understanding of how the firm has managed to become the undisputed market leader in kitchen and bathroom mixers, sinks, shower units, concealed flushings and water treatment units, and astoundingly so within a ten-year period at that, dawns on you as soon as you pass through their doors.
Design & Build was eager to meet up with Lara Camilleri, Managing Director, and General Manager Esprit Borg Barthet, in order to glean the secrets behind Bridgepoint’s success.
“L ara explained that at the very start of the company’s establishment they were already intent on developing overseas links and at the time these were with the Libyan market. “Our fledgling company had a breakthrough there so we saw this as a good omen and also as a means of bridging between the Malta and Libyan markets, hence the coining of the name,” she explained.
“A bit later the war in Libya broke out so we had to change our strategy,” said Lara. Bridgepoint then started to also look at setting itself up locally and took over a smaller outlet – also in Psaila Street, Birkirkara. This gave the potential customers of this (then) unknown company a point of reference as well as an opportunity to see their products first-hand.
Taking this leap of faith with a new business venture did not come easy either even though they believed in what they were doing. They continued building on the experience and acumen that Ray Camilleri – Lara’s enterprising father – had acquired through the construction and restoration businesses he has been in for over 30 years. And the decision to press on was taken.
The inception of Bridgepoint originally came about when their local market research strongly indicated that supplying kitchen and bathroom ware was a good market for them to tap into even though the islands were already served with several major international brands. The matching of the Camilleri and Borg Barthet backgrounds and experience – Ray’s entrepreneurship as a leading stalwart within Malta’s construction spheres, Lara’s qualifications and acumen in marketing management and Esprit’s having been born and bred within the wholesale and retail supply of fixtures and fittings – formed the Bridgepoint concept.
When a problem comes up; that is when we must shine the brightest
Lara Camilleri
From their very beginning, the Bridgepoint team had worked tirelessly to create a brand of high-end bathroom fittings and accessories at a price everyone could afford, primarily for the export business all around Europe. The vision was that they wanted to have their own products, their own brand, their own specifications and designs, the most practical means of ensuring that their quality expectations would not be required to ever take a bow.
In due time, Ray, Lara and their team discovered the market’s full potential through in-depth market research to identify the needs of the local market. The search was thus on for companies who were able to help create their own products to their much coveted standards of excellence, which they understood that the market too wanted.
Brand Conception
After a couple of years of negotiations and discussions on product specification and quality, the Bridgepoint catalogue finally started taking shape. “Of course, building a brand from nothing to a market leader is not easy,” explained Lara. “And our team made sure to attend international fairs in Poland and the UK, to build brand awareness and presence. Before we knew it, we managed to find willing investors for our products, and suppliers to market our brands in their respective companies,” she added.
“Top quality in all areas of work; be it product material, design, customer service and operational efficiency; has always been our target from the very start.” added Lara, explaining also that customer satisfaction (and the importance of a good after-sales service infrastructure) in particular was the measure through which they stormed into the market and gained the reputation they now enjoy. “My father believes strongly that if you don’t have the stocks you won’t be able to service the customer well and that is what we implement throughout our management and marketing,” she added.
Notwithstanding the current situation where the covid-19 Corona Virus seems to be controlling everyone and everything, Esprit explained that they were not particularly affected because of the large stocks they carry at any one time.
There was a point where the covid-19 situation left some of our stock levels dip to a point encroaching our ‘red line’. So what we did was – unbeknownst to our clients, order the internal components via courier express at our cost
Esprit Borg Barthet
“There was a point where the covid-19 situation left some of our stock levels dip to a point encroaching our ‘red line’. So what we did was – unbeknownst to our clients, order the internal components via courier express at our cost so as to ensure to the maximum that is humanly possible, that at no point would any projects we were supplying decelerate because of lack of supply from our end,” he mused. At the same time, additional stocks are being received regularly “such that by next month from now, another shipment of products will be in our warehouses to bolster up our stock,” he added.
The fact that Bridgepoint is a fully fledged manufacturer and a supplier as well allows them a certain flexibility as to where they direct their manufacturing processes, particularly when it comes to keeping the catalogue alive through the creation, design and production of additional new designs and colours.
photo: the Smart Thermostatic 2-Way Concealed Collection; in black and rose gold brass
Being wholesalers too, Bridgepoint is careful to not create undue competition or pressures on their wholesaling clients ensuring that the geographic representation of the Bridgepoint brand is shared fairly by a limited quantity of quality partners. “We have particular respect to all our clients who are representing our brand alongside their own core business lines,” added Lara.
Problems will always come up but, as Lara explained, this is where they are able to iron out the issues successfully and to everyone’s satisfaction. “We insist to always have all systems in place, so that in the off-chance that an issue presents itself, it is sorted right away; if possible within the same day,” she said.
Esprit added that in order to trade internationally and with the calibre of its more complex customer base, Bridgepoint had become ISO 9001 certified. “This amply proves that we are perfectly capable of, and willing to provide this kind of response rate. Such certification also assures our customers that the level of product quality and customer service that we are known to provide is factual and constant,” he explained.
Installers
A technical set of personnel is required by Bridgepoint for its installation and maintenance of its water treatment systems, namely being their reverse-osmosis and water softener solutions. Their installers and technicians are exclusively employees of the company. Esprit explained that “having your own installers is particularly important for this sector since the reverse osmosis systems we supply are of the semi industrial type. Whilst they are indeed suitable for domestic as well as standard commercial use, we find it particularly important to serve this level of equipment with professional personnel.” Lara further added that having one’s own employees means that one is in control of the whole situation; of the level of service given; and of the respect given to the products, the brand, the customer; something which she feels cannot be guaranteed if one were to subcontracting freelance technicians as is the industry’s wont.
photo: a segment of the Bathroom Collections on display at the Bridgepoint showroom
“At the end of the day we know how we want to treat our customers and we always want to ensure that our level of quality remains what we claim it is,” Esprit emphasised. “Our staff is all trained to believe rightfully in the brand and to buy into the required level of service as befits the customer and the brand itself.” It is evident that the Bridgepoint team is very closely knit; that they pull the same rope as one. “This is also the result of our team building programmes,” he added. “And I believe that this united passion to delight our clients contributes heftily to the Bridgepoint success story.”
this united passion to delight our clients contributes heftily to the Bridgepoint success story
Esprit Borg Barthet
Product Range
Today, Bridgepoint is proud to offer 16 different collections of bathroom fittings which all have their matching items depending on what the customer needs. Additionally, clients have 7 different series of bathroom accessories to complement any bathroom fittings chosen. “Moreover, we have over 35 kitchen mixers in different styles, forms and functions” Lara proudly exclaimed.
Most recently, the company also launched their newest variety of high-end handmade kitchen sinks which have been extremely well-received by the public. What’s more, commented Esprit with the verve he probably inherited from his artist ancestor whose name he carries, Bridgepoint has even more exciting prospects in the pipeline. These include extending their range to a number of items specifically designed for the catering and hospitality sector.
photo: Bridgepoint’s range of reverse-osmosis and water softener solutions covers both residential and commercial use.
Branding internationally
Lara continued explaining that their product manufacturers are huge companies, “very specialised in their work and especially so in the mechanism capability requirements of our designs. These manufacturers are not on the cheaper side either and, even though we can find cheaper manufacturers, we feel it is not right to do so, compromising our reputation and our product quality in the process. Especially so since our products are continually being tested overseas for quality control. We have very high quality control over all our products; we’ve compared the foreign products against our own with specialised testing both locally and abroad (from where we get the results and all the documentation which give us our brand status); and it’s not just a competitive edge of ours that we either match or beat (“we always beat”, Esprit pipes in smilingly) all other availabilities. It’s our philosophy to provide the very best quality at the very best prices. Our partners must therefore share this mantra. And they do!” Esprit continues to explain that their supply is committed to provide the same models and fittings at the same quality levels for years on end.
“As an example,” he adds, “our suppliers of the cartridge mechanisms guarantee that these will always be available so that if you have an unfortunate problem with it in a few years’ time we have the manufacturer guarantee that we will still be able to purchase the required cartridge mechanism needed for you.”
we have over 35 kitchen mixers in different styles, forms and functions
Lara Camilleri
As a result, Bridgepoint is now an international brand. “This has come about through quality advertising of the brand image and the recognised sheer value for money of the Bridgepoint range of products.” Recognised and respected overseas too, then, this Maltese company was delighted to have to learn to think and act as an international company. This obviously now leads the company to continue consolidating what they have built up in Malta while also building up their UK market which is definitely a very different concept altogether… “doing business in the UK is very different to Malta, since their concepts of buying are very different to ours,” added Lara. Nonetheless, the way they see it is that the world is their market now and “clients anywhere can also purchase through our website,” with Germany and Brussels being their newest countries to start availing themselves of Bridgepoint’s exquisite products.
it’s not just a competitive edge of ours that we either match or beat all other availabilities. It’s our philosophy to provide the very best quality at the very best prices
Lara Camilleri
Bridgepoint is now operating from its brand new, large, premises in Old Railway Track, St Venera, where everything is at hand including all their offices and stores as well as being served by extensive customer parking facilities. Apart from all this, the Bridgepoint employees involved with customer care are also able to keep in touch with their customers’ needs via online contact even after office hours.
The company believes that their website is a very important tool in reaching and serving clients especially since they consider that am eight hour day is hardly enough to be able to reach and serve customers properly. It is fairly obvious, then, that this wonderful success story that Bridgepoint has proven to be has been prompted by the founders’ passion to respect and delight every single customer, along with a native affinity to attracting and retaining like-minded and hearted professionals.
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