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Giormani embraces a 'loving home concept'

Wilson Lau

Having identified a niche for design-oriented, good-quality sofas available at affordable prices in Hong Kong in 1999, Kelvin Ng and his wife Jane Tong established Giormani to provide 'one-stop-shop' custom-made sofa services.

'The sofa market in Hong Kong in the late 90s was polarised,' says Tong, founder and managing director of Giormani, and winner of this year's Enterprise Award. 'It was either extremely pricey, stylish designs imported from Europe or low-end products of conventional designs [made locally or on the mainland]. We decided to set up a brand for sofas that would fill this void.'

Rather than just selling a piece of household furniture, Giormani embraces a 'loving home concept' and aims to bring it into the homes of its customers. 'Through our products, we want to entice families to stay home more and enjoy the family life,' Tong says. 'The sofa becomes part of their lifestyle and attitude.'

Giormani has 11 retail outlets in Hong Kong and exports its sofas to the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the mainland. The brand is recognised worldwide, thanks to its vertically integrated business model, from product design conceptualisation, production to retailing operations. Ng is the chief designer who leads a team of designers from Hong Kong, Germany and Italy in blending classic styling with contemporary flair.

In addition, the company's customisation service is based on the 'sofa style tailor' concept. Customers can order designs with width, depth, height, back support, arm rests, feet, and materials tailored to their specifications.

The stylish designs are complemented with consistent quality and efficient services that help to set the brand apart, Tong says. 'We are also very focused on just designing and producing sofas. Resources have been invested in product research and development so that we can constantly upgrade the quality.'

Tong is especially upbeat about expanding sales in South Korea and Singapore. 'The economic conditions in these markets have gained positive growth and purchasing power among the consumers is high. We have put more efforts in brand promotion in these markets. The goal is to create a pleasant shopping experience for the customers, in addition to the premium-quality sofas.'

Tong says Giormani is greatly encouraged by the honour from the DHL/SCMP Business Awards. She says: 'Kelvin is dedicated to the industry. His work is also recognised internationally. Our Strada II collection has won the award of the leather upholstery category in the Pinnacle Awards by the American Society of Furniture Designers in 2011. The awards are considered the 'Oscars' in furniture design.'

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