Falzon’s Bathrooms and Ceramics, whose main showroom is located in Psaila Street, St Venera, will soon be celebrating its centenary. In this interview, Design & Build spoke to Mr Costantino (known as Ino) Falzon who described not only the core functions of this family business which has survived wars and rode on fashions, but also recalled the early roots of the company.
Mr Falzon’s commitment to quality and his regard for clients’ needs, be they the consumer to the development magnate, shone clearly through the whole interview.
“I still remember my grandfather’s ledgers with the Union Jack printed on the cover.” This was one of the opening sallies by Costantino Falzon in an exclusive interview with Design & Build. His eyes took on that distant gaze as he recalled days long gone when his grandfather was still around and very involved in the business. Mr Falzon smiled: “I had also the invoices which my grandfather had signed. In those days they used to stick a stamp onto each finalised invoice. Everything had been kept in order.”
An evolution from paint
Mr Falzon spoke of the early days of the company. He described how the original business had been an ironmongery shop. This had been located near the Victoria Gate where, up to a few years ago, similar shops too had been set up; shops which one would not normally associate with Valletta today. The shop had specialised in the sale of paint. Set up in 1922 by Mr Falzon’s grandfather, the business had been the family source of income as well as a legacy to his children.
In the immediate post-war years, life was hard for many as work slumped in the naval dockyards and prices rocketed. However, the canny late Mr Falzon had at that time seen the potential of materials related to construction. In his case, he chose to focus on ironmongery and paint.
I cannot just tell them that the line is discontinued. Where would that leave them?
The business boomed and from the Victoria Gate premises, the company moved to St Paul’s Street in Valletta and eventually further expanded into Qormi. The Qormi showrooms eventually became the centre of the business until Mr Falzon took over a prime piece of real estate in Psaila Street, St Venera, from where he has operated for years.
As the company grew, it also diversified. Mr Falzon recalled how his father had started importing ceramics and sanitary ware. “I remember clearly how my father used to import ceramic tiles. Six inches by six inches they were, packed in wooden crates with layers of straw in between each tile to keep them from being damaged. There used to be an iron bar across the lid of the wooden crate to make sure that this would not burst open in transit,” smiles Mr Falzon.
Falzon’s vast range of high quality mixers are made of solid brass or chrome and carry a complete guarantee.
He was a young lad at the time, little knowing that his curiosity and interest in his father and grandfather’s work would soon lead him to fill in the same shoes.
Mr Falzon was thrown into the deep end rather early in life. “My father died when I was sixteen. I still remember that summer when I had to pitch in straight after finishing school. No summer holidays for me; straight to work it was,” said Mr Falzon, thus learning the trade and the business from the bottom up from his early years.
Consolidation
With almost fifty-odd years hands-on in the business, Mr Falzon said that he felt no urge to diversify. He said that while other companies of the same calibre as Falzon’s Bathrooms and Ceramics had diversified into other markets such as furniture and home décor, he remained true to his calling. “I know this business and I always believed in sticking to what one knows best” said Mr Falzon. This, he believes, is the secret to giving the consumer the right product at the right price, something which is very dear to this entrepreneur.
Mr Falzon keeps a keen eye out for innovation. He said that he regularly visits fairs (“at least three fairs each year”) to see trends, fashions and innovations. “Then there is also the aspect of technology, such as water taps which aim at saving water,” said Mr Falzon, clearly passionate about this subject.
Is it worth risking your reputation for an extra 15c per meter?
Most of his products come from Spain and Italy, two major names in ceramic design. Mr Falzon said that Turkey is now also becoming an important contender in the market. New technology makes all the difference, said Mr Falzon. He gave India as an example. This country, he said, has only been in the ceramics business for the past five years or so. However, having invested in the latest technology and machinery, it has made a significant entry into the market. In terms of quality and design, said Mr Falzon, for him nothing trumps the Italians, with Turkey coming significantly close.
photo: Falzon’s Bathrooms & Ceramics’ main showroom in Psaila Street, St Venera
Mr Falzon said that all his products are sourced in their country of origin and Falzon’s Bathrooms and Ceramics import everything in their own containers. He said that he therefore knows not only his stock well but can also service his clients more efficiently and effectively in after sales service. “If a client buys a shower cubicle and after five years something goes wrong, I need to be able to help that client. I cannot just tell them that the line is discontinued. Where would that leave them?” asked Mr Falzon. He added, emphatically “We do not get any orders of fittings without their parts; telling our suppliers ‘Don’t send it if you did not prepare the parts yet’, as we wouldn’t accept the order otherwise.” All ceramics are ‘First Choice’ and all boxes certified as being so, which is an insurance in itself against soiled or sub-standard material. “Today the cost difference between First Choice, tal-Prima and a lesser grade is so minimal that it is more viable to get first choice in any case as the difference would save you money but undoubtedly damage your reputation” said Mr Falzon. “Is it worth risking your reputation for an extra 15c per meter? It’s certainly not worth it,” said Mr Falzon.
When the company becomes family
Mr Falzon has a close relationship with his employees, some of whom have been in the company as long as he has. “The employees are my greatest friends. Look, there is Joe,” he said, pointing to a man who looked up and grinned cheekily when he heard his name.
“I came to the company at the age of 16 and he did at the age of 17. We’ve been together for ages” said Mr Falzon. He prides himself on the low staff turn-over saying that the only downside of this is that the age-range of the workforce has tended to become on the older side now and a few have left for health reasons. “We work as a family here and we have always been fair with each other.”
Notwithstanding their remarkably down-to-earth pricing, Falzon’s Bathroom & Ceramics’ devotion to quality is evident throughout the entire range of products proudly displayed at Psaila Street, St Venera.
And this care and attention carries on to the clients. Mr Falzon said that when he does his month on month analyses, it recurrently emerges that 75% of his orders come from repeat clients. “Reputation is very important to us,” said Mr Falzon. He is of the firm understanding that word of mouth recommendations in Malta are very important and the service given by the company to the client is an investment to the future. He in fact dedicates part of the budget for those clients who revisit the showroom after a very long time with a small query, perhaps regarding a failure of some small part. Mr Falzon said that in many such cases he just fixes or gives the client the part out of pocket as this will be part of the service the company provides. That too, he said, is an investment.
An eye on the future
Mr Falzon keeps his eye firmly fixed on the future, looking forward to servicing further major projects. “We provide quality at a very reasonable price. The prices for a whole block of flats would of course, be very different, from the price for one bathroom. I am used to dealing not only on these scales but also keeping in mind that while I need to make a profit, even the developer needs to be able to stand to gain. It never harms to underline our practices,” smiled Mr Falzon. He said that he can guarantee the best product for the budgets available. He insisted that whatever the budget, there is always a bathroom in his stock and Mr Falzon said that there are also special arrangements in place to cater for the needs of developers.
Mr Falzon said that his stock is always optimised and he caters for large scale projects from stocks with large warehouses in Qormi which have recently been refurbished. “The warehouses have 10,000 sq m of storage space fully stocked with ceramic tiles and sanitary ware” said Mr Ino Falzon, underlining his company’s ability to service large orders quickly.
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