WHEN Victor Handal became boss of Tile City in 2009, the family business faced a market about to be hit hard by the recession.

The home improvement store already supplied a variety of products, including ceramic and porcelain tiles, paints, pet supplies, office supplies, building materials, lighting and fixtures. But the booming sales that the company now enjoys can largely be attributed to Handal’s focus on further diversifying and improving the company’s product offerings over the past three years.

“Since I have come on board I think the major achievement I have brought to the company is I have managed to modernise our operation and inventory,” said Handal.

“I have fostered a partnership with Moen and Pratt & Lambert (paints) along with several other manufacturers and now we are able to offer Jamaica First World products and First World service at prices that compete with our international competitors,” he said, adding “Quite simply put, you can come into our store and purchase any OXO product for the same price as walking into Target or Bed Bath and Beyond.”

Indeed, Tile City now sells everything from toilet paper to a 15kW standby generator at its two branches — Mandela Highway and Constant Spring Road. What’s more is that the company is in the process of introducing a full 3D modelling and installation for kitchens, bathrooms and closets and will renovate its showroom into a working station that shows how each item functions, Handal said.

The upshot is that the company has significantly boosted its value proposition and is reaping the benefits in a tight consumer market, impacted by the weak domestic economy. The fallout in the real estate market, however, is one of the adversities which the company has had to overcome, Handal said.

“The real estate market has a major impact on the home improvement business, and in recent times has hit the industry pretty hard. Luckily for us, because of the diversity of our product offering, we have been able to see increase in sales,” Handal told the Jamaica Observer.

Tile City was started by Handal’s parents in 1999 as a small tile store off Constant Spring Road operating out of a showroom built from 40-foot containers. Its employee base was then a mere three staff members.

“As you can see, we have come a long way since then,” Handal said.

The original Constant Spring location was a rented property “and so we knew there wasn’t much potential for growth there”, noted Handal.

So, in 2002 the family purchased the Mandela Highway property and started expanding its product offering. By 2004, the company started offering complete hardware and plumbing products with its tile solutions. Due to the company’s rapid growth, it opened its latest branch on Constant Spring Road, with over 11,000 square feet of showroom space for tiles and hardware.

“With our ever-growing product line and extensive assortment of high-end home improvement and home décor items, along with a variety of name-brand cleaning and home supplies we needed a location that was more centralised and in Kingston,” said Handal.

Tile City currently employs over 50 persons.