‘Vento Furniture is a Nigerian project’

Vento Furniture, a premium furniture company, has redefined the furniture market in Nigeria. In an exclusive interview, the Sales and Marketing Director, Moaz Elhodad, shed light on the company’s success story and plans for the future.

Vento Furniture has become a visible brand over the years. Tell about the brand…

Vento Furniture is a Nigerian company devoted to redefining Nigeria’s furniture business. Our business strategy is anchored on the tripod: quality, durability and affordability. For every Vento showroom you visit, you are confronted with these three standpoints because we understand the Nigerian market. As such, we have ensured that our furniture represents those mentioned above.

Your furniture is believed to be for a particular class in the country…

Vento Furniture is a Nigerian project, so there is no way it would be for a particular class. Instead, Vento Furniture is for those that desire quality furniture that is durable and affordable. This much we have strived to maintain since we began operations. The reason is simple: we took time to understand the peculiarities of the Nigerian market and the expectations about furniture. This helped us ensure that we deliver quality, durable, affordable products. This has been the secret of our success story.

Vento seems to be everywhere. How many stores do you have?

I understand when people say Vento is everywhere. What we have succeeded in doing is putting Vento in the minds of people through our advertisement strategy. In truth, we are only present in three cities in Nigeria – Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. But we meet people where they are. For example, we have stands at airports, and train stations, our commercials running on TV, we have adverts in newspapers and magazines and other platforms with far-reaching effects in the market. So, we take our products to customers before they come to us.

How are you different?

As a first, we are a one-stop furniture company. We do furniture for homes, offices, hotels, hospitals, and schools. Vento is a total package that leaves you in awe. You can’t get it wrong with any Vento Furniture product in your home or office because all our products are tailored for the purpose. Let me add that aside from making and selling furniture, we spend considerable resources on research on various patterns and needs of potential customers. So you naturally find that whatever your style is, Vento Furniture has something for you.

You mentioned hotels and schools. Can you shed light on that aspect?

Our corporate sales division carries out special projects for furnishing offices, hotels, schools, hospitals and other big projects. Remember I said Vento is a total package. This is because we have the capacity to undertake big projects such as furnishing hotels, hospitals, schools and other projects from start to finish. This is our corporate sales division, and we have successfully furnished quite some hotels and lodges nationwide.

Let’s talk about some challenges in doing business in Nigeria. How have you coped?

What we experience is similar to what others experience. What has worked for us is the quality of our workforce and the organisational structure we have in place. Remember I said Vento is a Nigerian project, and we are indeed with Nigeria through thick and thin.

Can you tell us about other projects Vento Furniture is involved in?

Aside from business, we are very active in CSR initiatives. We have a department that implements CSR initiatives across the country and mainly in rural areas. We have renovated public schools, drilled boreholes, constructed toilets in public schools and various other charitable ventures. For us at Vento, the desire is to give back to society; to do this, we have the mandate to put smiles on the faces of indigent people. Plans are also underway towards establishing a vocational school to train young Nigerians interested in learning a skill to improve their lives. Such vocations include driving, painting, plumbing, welding, carpentry, etc. Participants would be drawn from across the country on the recommendation of local government chairpersons. Vento is a work in progress. We also plan to establish a world-class furniture manufacturing complex in Nigeria and many more incentives that would contribute to sustainable growth and development in Nigeria.