Working with your spouse can be challenging, but Ofer and Hadas Toizer, parents of four and residents of Rishon Lezion, testify that the joint work between them leads the business to the right places. The two own “Topaz Ceramics”, which specializes in renovation and construction as well as importing and marketing flooring, tiles and sanitary products.
“Over the years we have learned to understand each other’s work methods. We are very synchronized in our work and cooperate in everything,” says Hadas. “As in any business, sometimes conflicts arise, but from our experience they only help to strengthen the relationship and the business. Naturally we are different, but this dynamic is good for the business. If in the past we would take the work home, in recent years we have learned to separate it, it is also a product of the synergy between us”.
The business was founded by Ofer’s parents in 1995, and three years later he stepped into their shoes. In the first years, the business operated in a store of about 100 square meters on Yafet Street in Jaffa. Later, two years after they got married, Hadas also became involved in the business. Very quickly the architects and designers who worked with us made us realize that we had to upgrade to a bigger space,” explains Hadas.
For this reason, the couple decided to move the business to Bat Yam, where they found a commercial floor that caters to key areas in the industry: a building materials store and a showroom that includes products from the best international brands. “About 6 years ago we started intensively importing brands from Turkey, Spain, Italy and China”. Ofer explains. “We rented a large logistics warehouse that allowed us to import a large amount of containers and provide customers with quality goods from all over the world, at reasonable prices.
“I manage procurement, imports, logistics and work with the contractors. Hadas Emunah believes in working with the architects, designers and end customers. Although the purchasing power of the major importers is much greater than ours, we manage to offer customers identical products at lower prices and maintain a level of service without compromise “.
The two report that in recent years there has been a gradual increase in prices by dozens of percent. This increase began during the Corona period, due to the high transportation costs, and continues even now following the war in Ukraine. “Ceramic production is based on gas. Russia, a main gas supplier, has reduced the supply of gas to Europe and prices are climbing,” Ofer explains. “This affects the prices of the tiles, and therefore in imports from European countries such as Spain and Italy, there was another increase of 30%.
“We knew how to read the mood and premeditated the blow. Already at the beginning of the year we prepared for price increases – we rented a much larger warehouse than the previous one, we imported a huge inventory ahead of time and we keep existing goods for which there is no price increase. The big winners are the customers who currently enjoy attractive prices compared to the market.”
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