Universal Furniture explores retail market
November 18, 2013 by Sodiq Oyeleke
Universal
Furniture Limited has said it is exploring the retail market as a means
of bridging the gap among different segments of the market.
The Chairman of the furniture company,
Mr. Antoine Moudaber, said this during a press conference ahead of the
unveiling of the re furbished UFL showroom in Victoria Island, Lagos.
He explained that the company’s growth was as a result of its years of experience and offer of quality services.
He said, “Having developed the technical
know-how over almost 30 years in Nigeria, the UFL also brought in new
management to drive a new strategy and retail market development. To add
to its core focus of multinational and government establishment, we
look to offer locally made high end furniture.
“The UFL is confident that many who will
come into the new showroom will find it hard to believe that the
furniture collection is made in Nigeria. The company aims to showcase a
different designer and collection every six months – that includes
Nigerian designers – promising high end quality, at affordable price
with first class after service care.”
Moudaber noted that the company’s products were made locally with more inputs from Nigerian workforce.
The chairman said, “Although our designs
are currently grounded on weaving international experience with African
talent, our key aim is, overtime, to have Nigeria’s talent with the
know-how designing and producing their collection of furniture for
African market with little or no input from expatriates.
“About 95 per cent of the company’s
workforce which has grown from 30 in 1987 to 550 in 2013 is Nigerians
and majority has been with the company for more than 10 years. In its
strive for continuous development, the company applied and attained
ISO9001-2008 certification in 2010, thus grounding its ethos of ‘the
customer is king’.”
He, however, identified inadequate power supply and poor roads as major challenges facing the company.
“The company has experienced several
challenges over the years – namely: finding qualified staff and the
issue of infrastructure causing damages from factory to client’s
location. Both challenges has been addressed head-on over the years –
with regular training for all staff and improved packing and loading
approach to withstand the jolt of bumpy roads,” he added.
In continuing to build on talents of its
workforce, the chairman said, “UFL is looking to engage in talent
partnerships with universities across Nigeria as a way of giving back to
the country which has supported its growth over the last 25 years.”
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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