If it had followed that path, today the company would form part of a European giant in the furniture rental for events. But having put on covid in the middle, they are content to breathe. And do it, moreover, with such profitable puffs. Premium It has gone from bordering on bankruptcy to billing 6 million euros last year, triple that of the previous year. And the course set now leads them, if all goes well, to increase another 30% of its business volumehire about twenty people and open headquarters in Portugalthis year, and in Francethe next.
This Catalan company based in Gave (Barcelona) was dedicated before the pandemic essentially to rent furniture for events. She did it like the arm of a dutch group that it had been growing for years at the cost of getting into debt and that, as such, it could not overcome the stoppage of activity that the covid forced. Thus, in July 2020, at the same time that the company formalized its bankruptcy, the journey of the four executives who ran the company in spain to stay at least with his production unit.
They did it thanks to the Investment fund Endurance entered into the equation to become a partner and owner of the company, since they presented a sufficiently attractive project for the Dutch insolvency administrator let them keep just that part of the company.
“The current approach is different from the one that existed at the time”, they deepen the CEO of Premium, Joan Chalerand his business manager, Jose Leon, who say that they changed everything: name, market orientation, warehouse, website, social networks… “We have also added the design part (from drawing up the plans to ensuring that the furniture meets safety regulations) and we have the figure of the ‘project manager’ has been incorporated into each project”, they explain regarding the business. “The client only has to have an event and money to pay for it: we take care of everything,” they summarize.
Among his clients, many of whom he carried over from his previous stage, are from Barcelona Fairhe Mobile World Congress or the CCCBuntil Port Aventura. They can be in charge of both the private event of a large company and the design, construction and management of a company’s ‘stand’ for a fair, either because they are the Reference supplier of the Palacio de Congresos (as is the case of the Fira de Barcelona), either because they are hired by the exhibiting company or the middle manager to whom a company entrusts the project. The point is that they already have a market share of almost 40% in Spain.
New business units
“We have set ourselves objectives organic growth (to grow the clients we already have); focus on what we are best at, which are the big accounts; grow internationally; and launch new business ideas”, Chaler and León point out. The plan, in this sense, is to activate a new unit that depends on the company each year and have the idea ready for the next one.
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In 2022, the novelty was Aluvisiona line to rent aluminum frames intended to replace the wooden ‘stand’. And in 2023, it will be a division oriented to serve the events outside fairgroundslike in golf courses o sport ports. As for 2024, no clue, just that the idea is already on the table. Because here there is no fear of the drums of crisis.
“We try to manage costs very well: when the market pulls and we invoice a lot, we go all out, but if the market takes a step back, we adjust to costs a lot, as a domestic economy would do”, both managers point out. In addition, they conclude, that their sector “has always proven to be very countercyclical: when business goes down, the marketing and sales teams invest”, and that they trust the promise that 2024 will finally be the year of full recovery from events.