Ceramiche Gambarelli Group and Tonino Lamborghini

In the spotlight
Ceramiche Gambarelli Group
and Tonino Lamborghini
Giuseppe Pozzi

A new strategy is at work
within
the
Gambarelli
Group. The new direction, which the
company's chairman Giuseppe Pozzi
describes for us, involves one of the
world's most established Italian luxury
brands: Tonino Lamborghini.
Tile International: This is clearly a major
change of direction, especially for a
Group that, until now, has always marketed its products under its own brand.
What chain of circumstances brought
you into contact with Tonino Lamborghini?
Giuseppe Pozzi: “Rather than a “chain
of circumstances”, to be honest, this is
the result - and it's certainly a significant
result - of the meticulous research that
we have carried out over the past two
years aimed at finding solutions and
partnerships that would enable us to
position ourselves at the absolute top
end of the market.”
Tile International: What are the reasons
behind this decision?
G. Pozzi: “As a manufacturer of ceramic
ties, the Gambarelli Group was already
generating an extremely high percentage of its turnover from exports, half of
which are absorbed by emerging mar-
Tile International 3/2014
76
In the spotlight
kets such as Russia, China
and the Middle East. We know
from direct experience, therefore, that in those parts of the
world, Italian products are recognised and sought after
within a luxury market that
knows no limits. This strategy
prompted us to set up a meeting with Tonino Lamborghini
and to forge a partnership
that then led to the creation of
“Tonino Lamborghini Tiles &
Style”.”
Tile International: So “Tonino
Lamborghini Tiles&Style” is a
brand established for the distribution of a specific line of
ceramic tiles?
G. Pozzi: “Yes, but that's not all.
Alongside our tiles, which we
manufacture in-house, the
Tonino Lamborghini Tiles&Style
catalogue includes sanitaryware and taps and fittings
made in partnership with prestigious Italian companies, so
that we can present ourselves
as suppliers of total bathroom
solutions. The project will be
rounded off with an extremely
high-end parquet series. We
have already created three
series of porcelain floor and
wall tiles, which draw inspiration from classic Tonino Lamborghini design, and are manufactured with absolutely
77
top-quality materials. These
ceramic collections will be on
display in the Lamborghini
Lounge at our stand at Cersaie, alongside a selection of
prototype sanitaryware and
taps and fittings. The entire
project will be presented during the course of Cersaie
2014, at a special event on the
fringe of the trade fair, held at
the new Forum Tonino Lamborghini in Bologna.”
Tile International: Did you experience any “difficulties of
approach” in relation to such
a major company?
G. Pozzi: “There's no doubt
that this is a major new chal-
lenge for us. Over the past 30
years, Tonino Lamborghini has
built up a reputation for painstaking research into materials
and products that stand out
for their unique design. So we
are joining a team whose objective is to create an authentic Italian luxury brand experience for worldwide export.
The future aims for the project
include using our products in
the construction of high-profile areas of the Tonino Lamborghini Luxury Hotels that are
due to open shortly (such as
bathrooms, Spas and ceramic
and wood flooring) and that
will be built in partnership with
the architect Renzo Costa.”
Tile International: How many
Tonino Lamborghini hotels
have been opened to date?
G. Pozzi: “So far, Tonino Lamborghini has opened three
hotels in China with different
hospitality formulae: a boutique hotel in Suzhou, a City
Centre Hotel in Kunshan and
a Lakeside Hotel in Huangshi.
The project involves the construction of at least five hotels
in the next two years and ten
more in the subsequent five
years.”
Tile International: Which markets are you targeting with the
new
Tonino
Lamborghini
Tiles&Style brand?
G. Pozzi: “The sole rights apply
worldwide both for the tiles
and for the sanitaryware and
taps and fittings sold under
the Tiles&Style brand, but our
priority is to launch the project
Del Conca "Fast"
in the emerging markets,
Tile International 3/2014
In the spotlight
which are very appreciative of goods that are
made in Italy and
backed up by prestige
brands, so we will be
starting in Russia, China
and the Middle East, but
worldwide coverage will
follow shortly afterwards.”
5
RENZO COSTA
Architect, painter, sculptor.
Renzo Costa holds a diploma in aeronautical construction and teaches design, aerotechnics and the
mechanics of flight. After gaining a degree in architecture from the University of Rome, he took off on a
series of ventures abroad. In 1980, he formed the firm Studio Costa Progettazioni in Rome. In 1989, he
designed the Grand Hotel Leon D’Oro in Verona.
In 1994, he won the international competition for the design of the Ritz Hotel in Moscow, and became
a hotel design consultant for a number of major hotel chains, including: Una Hotels & Resorts, Hilton
Hotels, Valadier Group, Italia Turismo and Barcelò Hotels & Resorts. In 1999, Miami City Council assigned him the 1999 Building of the Year Award for Brickell Bay Beach Tower.
In 2001, he won the tendering procedure launched by UNA Hotels & Resorts for the new UNA Hotel
Malpensa. He then designed the new UNA Hotel Roma for the same chain.
In 2004, he designed the new conference centre, the Politech multiplex auditoriums and the Condotti Gallery for the Hotel Cavalieri
Hilton in Rome.
In 2011, the Italian Embassy in the Principality of Monaco appointed him to design and set up the display space for an exhibition
entitled “Italian Style: 150 Years of Art and Design” and the “Made
in Italy Forum” in partnership with Studio Ambrosetti.
For Agusta Westland, he designed the Vergiate Auditorium and the
new Delivery Hangar. In the private building sector, he has developed a number of high-profile residences between Rome and London. In the Olgiata residential centre: Butterfly House and Villa Sabina; country homes in Umbria and residences on the Côte d'Azur.
Renzo Costa recently produced the conceptual design for a series of “Tonino Lamborghini” luxury hotels in Asia, Russia and the
Middle East.
THE TONINO LAMBORGHINI GROUP
The Tonino Lamborghini Group was founded in Bologna in 1981 by Tonino Lamborghini, the son of
Ferruccio Lamborghini, who established the prestigious Lamborghini automotive brand.
The creative design workshop from which Tonino Lamborghini's lifestyle products originate is located in the magnificent “Palazzo del Vignola”, a Renaissance villa just outside Bologna built by the famous architect Jacopo Barozzi, who was also known as “Il Vignola”.
Drawing inspiration from his previous experience in the field of engineering and design, for over 30
years Tonino Lamborghini has been extending the concept of luxury to products that evoke a world
characterised by passion for mechanical engineering and uncompromising style. Watches, sunglasses, mobile phones, fragrances, furnishing complements, clothing, sports accessories, Italian gastronomic delicacies and branded 5-star boutique hotels, lounges and restaurants: the overall result is a
coordinated universe of style complements that express Pure Italian Talent.
All products are distinguished by the Tonino Lamborghini Group's logo: the charging bull against a
red background.
The Tonino Lamborghini Group is a fully fledged lifestyle experience brand with a very clear vision: to
export the passion and spirit of Italian culture worldwide in the form of unique, distinctively designed
products inspired by the world of Italian art and industrial design. www.lamborghini.it
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