The leaders in lifestyle products and experts in international design, Villeroy & Boch today stand as a dominant global industrial enterprise in this domain.
Villeroy & Boch (V&B) have been around for the last 260 years, with their innovative products that span across tableware, kitchen, bathroom and wellness and tiles. Headquartered in Mettlach, Germany on the Saar River, Villeroy & Boch was established in 1748 with a modest beginning in the village of Audun-le-Tiche in the duchy of Lorraine by Francois Boch, initially manufacturing ceramic tableware that included plates, cups, tureens and pots. In 1791, businessman Nicolas Villeroy started a factory in Wallerfangen on the Saar River, printing tableware using copper-plating. Sensing the competitiveness, Villeroy and Boch decided to come together and in 1836, Villeroy & Boch was born and has been a leader in contemporary lifestyle products ever since.
The Journey
In 1982, Villeroy & Boch was restructured and all the major products were brought under three main divisions, namely tiles, sanitaryware, tableware/crystal. The company has been dominating the markets with their product line in Germany, France and other European markets. It has various products that are divided under two divisions; Bathroom and Kitchen Products and Tableware. Various options in Tiles include nonvitreous and glazed/unglazed vitreous wall and floor tiles. The bathroom and kitchen products consist of ceramic sanitaryware, ceramic kitchen sinks, bathroom furniture, technical accessories, baths, shower trays, whirlpools, shower partitions, shower and steam cubicles. The tableware segment is dominated by tableware services made of faience, vitreous porcelain, Vilbo and bone china and gift articles made of ceramic and glasses and the wellness segment includes baths, shower trays, whirlpools, shower partitions, shower and steam cubicles.
The year 1987 saw Villeroy & Boch becoming a public limited company and in two years time, it bought the Dutch company Ucosan; after which Villeroy & Boch diversified into plastic baths and shower trays, further getting into products like bathroom furniture after it acquired the Austrian company, Das Bad in 1991. V&B has been listed in the German Stock Exchange since 1990 and has various family members working in it. The present CEO and the Group Chairman is Frank Goring who takes care of the overall responsibility of the bathroom and wellness division. The production is carried out at 21 establishments in eight European countries and V&B products are marketed in 125 countries, which contribute to the company's annual worldwide sale of 893.2 million Euros.
Presence in India
Villeroy & Boch entered India in 2007 bringing in its various products in the market and opened its first outlet in Hyderabad and another one in Mumbai. The company tied up with its Indian partner Spa Luxury Lifestyle Ltd, and has plans to expand in all the major cities including New Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata.
First Look
If you happen to be in Mettlach, Germany, you can get a first look at the products and the various displays at the company's Discovery centre. A walk through the park costs $4.75 for a day and one gets to see the cultural influence display as well as displays of their future products that the company plans to design and retail. Amongst the displays, one that catches the eye is the Tableware World of Discovery, taking you into a pre-arranged set of tables that are a big source of temptation and inspiration. The Centre also has The Museum of Ceramics that has on display, various ceramics from the late Baroque period till date including the chamber pots of nobles. With plans to retain their leadership in the lifestyle product category, V&B are going all out to take their brand and capture all international markets. With exquisite and innovative products on its list, there is no stopping for this brand.
