realised that they had to get the money in.” With the first orders coming in, Mr Drumm conceded that there was a big problem. “We had a warehouse full of stuff, but
distribution completely stopped – and access to our product range became a big issue,” Mr Drumm said. “In order to get our product, we took our products out of this warehouse to another warehouse that was fully operational; prior to that, we hired a big truck and Ron and I went around the country delivering our products because we couldn’t get it done by a third party.” Mr Drumm’s track record with Falmec should
not be underestimated, as the Italian brand is the market leader in extraction in the Republic of Ireland. Looking back at the pandemic, Mr Drumm said
that March 16, 2020 – when then Prime Minister Boris Johnson called time on non-essential contact and travel – was the worst day, but he said that business started to get better and better, because it was selling products. “We had a bit of a whoop and then in
September 2020, the government killed it again,” Mr Drumm said. “We exploded on May 1, 2021, when retail
reopened again. Orders started to come in and also kitchens that were put on hold were moving forward. With no holidays for two years, customers had lots of money in their pockets. “We were already building in the background.
All we can do is just keep going; when one door shuts, we have another go.” Mr Blount said the reopening of retail really made the difference. “We could actually get out and start meeting
retailers and telling our story,” Mr Blount said. “We shipped a number of containers prior to 2020 to fill the warehouse with product that we’d purchased – Brexit certainly increased our transportation costs, which went through the roof.” Mr Drumm said that the business is 100% committed to independent kitchen specialists.
“We love the kitchen studios,” Mr Drumm said,
“our customers know our names and we like to talk to them. We can see the pressures that they’re on from outside and we we’re here to support them. “Falmec is here to make stores look fabulous with our products. We have about 11 different categories, and we offer solutions all the way across the range.” Mr Drumm said that central to the Falmec
product line-up is its build quality. “Our products should last 20 years – our mantra
is it’s built to a standard and not a price and that’s very important,” Mr Drumm said. “Falmec never changes something to make it cheaper. “When it’s hung on the wall, the finish is first
class, because it has to be. We’re a company that manufactures its own hoods – 90% of cooker hoods are made by companies in Romania or China, or simply have a badge put on them. All Falmec products come from the company’s own factories.” Falmec is a family-owned business. run by a dad and his two sons, who are extremely passionate and enthusiastic about what they do. Mr Drumm said: “I’m really fond of them; they trust me, and I trust them. Our end game, of course, is to be the market leader, which going by our own figures, is going to be over the next couple of years.” He said that in 10 years’ time, Falmec UK could have a turnover between £15-£20 million, because of the amount of products that it has. “We are ramping up all the time, and there’s no
reason, absolutely no reason, why we shouldn’t be doing that,” Mr Drumm said. “In a couple of years, we’ve already turned over £2 million and that’s been in the most extreme circumstances. There are all sorts of brands out there that sell a hood in a box – we are specialists, that’s the difference. “In time, people will be mentioning Falmec in the same breath as Gaggenau and Siemens.” With a team of five sales staff working across the UK now, Drumm said that by 2024, the size of this team will double. There is no doubt that customers want to
wowed when they walk into stores and Mr Blount has some key advice for retailers. Mr Blount said: “Where retailers have started
to install Falmec’s quiet system in their stores, they then like to take their customers and stand alongside the hood while they’re talking, because when it gets to the point to start talking about extraction, noise always comes into the conversation – and kitchen studio staff can point out that the hood has been operating throughout the conversation.” Mr Drumm said: “We’ve had such a hard time trading, but we’ve doubled the business year-
October/November 2022
on-year. We’re going to have a fabulous year this year and next year, because we’ve started from the bottom. “We’re growing all the time and we’re still
trying to get around to see retailers.” At a time where some major manufacturers
have supply issues, Mr Drumm said that the availability of component and stock had not been an issue. “When nobody had stock, we had stuck, while other manufacturers are struggling and unable to supply until next year,” Mr Drumm said. “We’re moving stock every day of the week and our logistics partner sends it out.” Falmec UK employs a service engineer and Mr Drumm said that installation is the biggest issue, not the product. “Installers need to get their head around how
to duct down properly,” he said. Mr Drumm highlighted that Falmec produces online videos to show installers how the products work and how they should be installed. Looking ahead, Mr Drumm said that the company is planning to have its own large warehouse in the UK and he is certain that it will have a showroom in central London. “We want total control over what we do,” Mr Drumm said. “In the future, the product will leave Italy in its own trucks, will arrive in the UK and then will be distributed by our own trucks. “We want to do our own deliveries, so that
we have control over it. We have very expensive items floating around and they need to be treated properly.”
www.ierdaily.co.uk | 25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
