Miramar Monalisa : Defining the world of tiles

Monalisa Porcelain Vitrified Tiles, the third largest Tiles Manufacturer of the world from China, opened their first Indian showroom at 4, Achambit Shaw Road, Hastings - Kolkata through a joint-venture with Miramar Properties Pvt. Ltd. Spread across 9,000 sq ft of area; the entire store has been designed by architects from China. The design is a representative of more than 3,000 showrooms in China for customers who can see mock bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, office areas, etc. allowing them to visualize the product in a superior and enhanced way.

This visualization is meant to show customers that they can still achieve a rich and homely look without spending on expensive Italian marble. The décor has a straight contour and is very pragmatic. The entire layout of the store design, colour choices, material, finishes have been done keeping in mind the convenience of the customers who can walk from one room into another seamlessly and check out the entire showroom.

Being located 10 minutes from the port makes it very easy to unload containers right outside, and with ample parking available, and being located in a central position for business houses, corporate houses, as well as household buyers, the brand targets a huge range of clientele.

The store front which is really attractive has been created by using Monalisa's thin tiles which are 6' by 3' and only 5mm thick which is made of one of the most environmental-friendly products as its use of raw materials is much less than the traditionally-produced tiles. This particular type of tile is a revolutionary product for outdoor cladding all over the world.

The store houses a variety of tiles which are scratch-resistant, heat-resistant–(no toxins released in case of fire), chemical resistant (no radiation or corrosion), environment friendly, waterproof, anti-frost and anti-fracture resistant, anti-bacterial and sanitary surface. Besides food contact is safe with Nano finish. Speaking on the launch Huo Rongquan, Board Chairman of Foshan Monalisa Industry Co. Ltd. and Vice Managing Director of Monalisa Group said, "MONALISA is one of the largest manufacturers of tiles in the world. Due to its adherence to environmental labour laws, environment-friendly product, and more than 100 million Yuan invested for scientific research, we have achieved advanced production levels in the field of polishing tiles. We were also chosen to be the only licensed tile manufacturer for the Shanghai World Expo 2010.”

Karan Samtani, Director, Miramar Properties Pvt. Ltd. further shares, "Our price range starts from Rs 45/- per sq. ft. for salt soluble tiles. Most of the double charged tiles range between Rs. 80-100 per sq. ft. The most expensive series is the Roma Jade Spar series at Rs. 600/- per sq. ft, which uses Monalisa's own transparent microcrystal particles technology. The brand caters to the mass because the pricing and product is very superior. The range includes stone, leather, ink-jet and wooden finishes, which are ideal for residential Commercial use. "

With an annual turnover of 800 million USD and a global presence in more than 100 countries and 3,000 showrooms in China, the Group plans to open more showrooms during the year 2014 in the North, South and West regions of India with an investment plan of over 25 million US Dollars. In the Asian region, the brand mainly caters to Indonesia, Thailand, India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Japan, and Korea. Exports to Asian countries take 50% of the total export value, other 50% mainly to South American countries, North American, European and Middle Eastern. "Monalisa Group wants their presence to be felt in India. They have been selling tiles to India for many years. We want their brand to be recognized, not as a cheap Chinese tile, but a high-quality economically priced tile. The Group is the top tile manufacturers in the world and they contribute a lot in Research and Development. To bring this fashion to the city, I am glad that the Monalisa Group has joined hands with Miramar Properties, which is the joint venture partner for Eastern India, and is also authorized to add sub-agents and sales outlets for greater reach in the Eastern region of India,” said Aditya Bansal, CEO, Miramar Monalisa.

Monalisa is looking at opening around 15 stores in cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and other Tier-II cities like Jamshedpur. They are aggressively looking at markets in the eastern states as the region has a lot of untapped potential. The brand has three retail modules where the shops will be set up according to the square feet of space available followed by their own brand philosophy.  "The store launch has generated a lot of interest with several prominent architects and interiors designers from the city, as well as promoters and even they are coming with their clients to give them a better understanding of the design and material they are going to use for the project. Customers are loving the showroom as they have not experienced anything like it before as their retail experience has been unique. As the customers can see tiles used in mock rooms, it gives them a lot of confidence to visualize the real look and feel of their room. Thus we feel this is a unique store experience not offered by other tile showrooms,” signs off Karan Samtani.