One credit crunch-busting businessman says that there is still plenty of money being spent in Berkshire, despite the current recession.
Radio Bracknell’s John Hicks interviewed a Wokingham-based French master joiner, who turned down the opportunity of travelling the world in favour of setting up a business in this country.
An added bonus for Bruno Boulay is that he met and married a Berkshire girl – and he says he has no intentions of heading back to France, despite the current economic climate.
Boulay has stayed busy during the current recession, by serving the area’s discerning clientelle who are looking for something unique. His clients include one of the world’s richest Arab Sheikhs.
Boulay specialises in making bespoke staircases, cabinets, shop fronts and other furniture, using only the finest materials. He says demand is still high for fine craftsmanship, despite the economic downturn – and he says the recession in this country is nothing compared to the economic situation in France.
Boulay – whose assignments have included working on an interior in a private jet – originally arrived in this country 12 years ago as part of a plan to travel the world. But he quickly spotted a nice market for what he does and decided to stay.
He has since met and married a Berkshire girl and has no regrets about his decision to stay in the UK.
“I had my heart set on travelling the world,” he said. “But I quickly realised that there was an opportunity for me to cater for the quality of work people were looking for. There is a demand for this kind of work in the UK, but I found that people were having trouble finding the right kind of person to do the work.
“In France it is the opposite, people just don’t have the income to have something individually produced, but there are the people who have the skill to do it. So in France the supply outweighs the demand, but in the UK there is more demand than supply for this type of specialist service.
“So my decision to stay in Berkshire gave me the opportunity to use the skills I have learned in France.”
Mayther Cards, with several stores in Berkshire, are one of the local businesses to have already taken advantage of Boulay’s skills.
“Since September last year I have been working for Mayther. I redesigned a new shop front for the Mayther store in Marlow. While I was doing it, I had a lot of positive comments about the quality of the work and a lot of people asked me for a business card.”
Mayther use Bruno’s services exclusively in their stores across the rejoin.
“We have known Bruno for 12 years,” said Trevor Gibbons, the owner of Mayther Cards. “We employ him on a regular basis to make both furniture and fittings for our shops. The quality of his work, and attention to detail, is exemplary.”
Boulay believes businesses in the UK are in a privileged position, despite the current recession.
“The challenge of working in the UK during a recession is nothing compared to what is happening in France. I hear lots of talk about doom and gloom in this country but a lot of that is perceived. There are still plenty of people who want high quality and are prepared to pay for it.”
And he believes the recession in this country is actually boosting demand for his work, partly because more people are looking to remortgage for home improvements rather than move house. He says there are still plenty of people who are looking for something that is high quality, special, and unique.
“There are a lot of master joiners in France, but there are not many so many in England,” added Boulay, who has developed his skills and craft after studying the art of joinery during 10 years of training and earning his status as a master joiner. He is a member of a specialist craftsman’s guild in France.
“What I do is popular because it is fully bespoke and completely unique to suit the individual needs of each client. I can offer creative design ideas and it is always interesting to listen to the ideas my clients have.
“The work is ideal for anyone who wants something truly special and is looking for the wow factor in their home, or for their business – for example if someone is redesigning a shop interior to create a new, sophisticated look for their business.
“A variation on the spiral staircase is very popular these days, with a reverse step half way up and a curved bannister, as it is often seen as more practical, but is also stunning in its design.
“I work with the highest quality wood and also use other materials including glass panels. A striking staircase, piece of furniture or shop front can make a house, shop or office stand out in a really special way.”
Boulay is so highly regarded in France that he is currently working on an eight-week furniture project for a wealthy client in Chamonix – even though there are plenty of master joiners in France that Boulay’s client could have assigned to the job.
The client has had wood flown over from France especially so that Boulay can work on the project here, before shipping the finished work over to France.
Boulay has an unusual item in his workshop – a perfectly spherical wooden football, complete with pentagonal panels, to demonstrate the quality of his craftsmanship.
“It’s something a bit different and always attracts a lot of attention,” he added.
For more information about Boulay’s work, listen in to John’s Business Briefing programme (sponsored by www.rbworkshop.co.uk) in the coming weeks or visit Bruno’s website: www.brunoboulay.co.uk
Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell on the hour, every hour, with reporter Mark Lynch or access our news website via www.radiobracknell.com sponsored by Mark Roach Public Relations.
For detailed stories, please listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for his weekly round-up, news and interviews plus the events listings for the coming week, sponsored by The Green Machine
Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris direct at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com and Mark at mark@radiobracknell.com
Get the latest local, regional and business news for Bracknell and the Royal County of Berkshire from Radio Bracknell on the hour, every hour, with reporter Mark Lynch or access our news website via www.radiobracknell.com sponsored by Mark Roach Public Relations.
For detailed stories, please listen in to The Sunday Show with Chris Brant for his weekly round-up, news and interviews plus the events listings for the coming week, sponsored by The Green Machine
Send us your news stories and photographs at news@radiobracknell.com or you can e-mail Chris direct at thesundayshow@radiobracknell.com and Mark at mark@radiobracknell.com
