06 January 2003
From conception to leading brand in 5 years…
Five years on and with an award-winning brand, Montpellier Marble must have thought it was a dot com in the nineties. Phenomenal growth in a competitive “old economy” market sector is what most businesses can only dream about.
The Montpellier Story began in a warehouse at Staverton, Cheltenham, where, recalls Eve Iravani co-founder “We had a marble desk, a fan heater, a telephone and a container load of stock including marble fireplaces, tables, ornaments and about one thousand marble placemats!”
“The first year was spent attempting to drum up business by calling everyone we could think of who was related to the industry. The monthly glossies and trade magazines became like another partner in the business and were used variously for promotion, advice and research. We advertised for about a year before we sold our first fireplace!”
Michael Mellor, the co-founder of Montpellier Marble who designs the distinctive Montpellier collection continues, “It became clear quite early on that the fire surround section of the business would be the main earner.” The pair were joined by Sales Manager David Podmore, who with 20 years experience in the marble business, took a massive gamble by assuming the monumental task of building a nationwide retailer network for the fledgling company.
Eve remembers the first order going out to be delivered to a shop: “I took the number plate of the hired delivery vehicle and it became our first order number. We were so excited to think that somebody actually wanted one of our fireplaces! It was very daunting trying to break into a market dominated by big names with fancy ads and glossy images.”
Since then the company has built a network of over 200 quality retailers in the UK and Ireland, as well as supplying developers, architects and interior designers. “Everything started to double year upon year: our exhibition stand, our warehouse space, our revenues, our personnel and of course – the advertising budget” remarks Eve, adding, “and we have never looked back.”
Along the way, Montpellier has won 3 awards in five years for its fireplace designs. The company occupies a special niche in the market for creating enduring pieces incorporating classic or contemporary elements, using premium quality marble. Each surround is painstakingly hand-carved and hand-polished, giving it a unique character. “No mass production or CNC machines for us!” declares Michael who had the onerous role of re-hauling the production line and adding extra crews to cope with the ever-increasing demand for the company’s fireplaces. To keep the brand exclusive, David Podmore cherry picks top retailers and avoids saturating areas. This means turning away many retailers who are eager to carry the line in areas already covered. “We never imagined we would be facing this scenario, that’s for sure” he comments.
The secret of Montpellier’s success? “We turn cutting-edge concepts into timeless classics”. “And,” she adds, “we look after our customers.”