In 1985, a company called Furniture Craft was set up by a couple who had emigrated from India to the UK. Their son, who had previously worked as a strategy consultant for Accenture, decided to join the family business as he saw an opportunity to grow the small boutique firm into a big retail brand. In time, he was presented with the chance to buy commercial real estate near his parents’ store. This is how one of the biggest brands in the UK luxury furniture and interiors market was born. We are talking about FCI London and the person behind the brand – Founder and CEO, Firdaus Nagree.
Our entrancing edition, “Influential Business Leaders of the Year 2021,” is covering many established and rising high flyers who have created an indivisible impact. Speaking of Firdaus, he is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and business leader with a proven track record of growing successful companies. And over the past 2 decades, his outstanding leadership has helped FCI London win phenomenal recognition from customers and the industry.
At the outset, Firdaus was interested in the high-end luxury corner of the furniture market. The niche focus helped him build his clientele around HNIs. Working with the elites, FCI London grew into a respected luxury brand with deep roots in furniture design, manufacturing, and interiors. In the last 2 decades, Firdaus has grown the company from a 5000 Sq. ft. showroom to one of the largest and most successful furniture and interior brands in the UK. FCI has over 700 brands under a single roof in their North London Showroom. They offer the most exclusive contemporary furniture from the world’s most renowned designers.
In his conquest to make FCI London a paradigm of excellence, Firdaus also introduced exclusive interior designing services for residential and corporate projects. The brand works with an in-house team of designers and architects to provide complete project assistance, from product sourcing to technical drawings to delivery and installation. They also work with a close network of interior designers, for whom they have developed a set of trade services aimed at alleviating the stress of design projects. FCI London understands the challenges interior designers face and they aim to be their go-to helping hand for all projects.
FCI’s ethos embraces exceptional customer service with a commitment to providing the best in luxury furniture. Their commitment to quality reflects Firdaus’s tenaciousness and hard work. He started in property development at the age of 21, and since then his dynamism has been the anchor for the brand’s growth throughout the years. He is also an executive board member/investor to many companies across Digital Hospitality, F&H, Construction, Interior Design, Retail, Bridge Finance, Proptech, Education, Aggregated Logistics, Property, On-Demand Food Delivery and Insurance. His vast experience has helped FCI London grow in the B2C segment with a growing focus on B2B side as well. FCI’s clients are HNIs, corporates as well as general public.
The UK furniture market has an abundance of players working in the luxury segment. So, how does FCI London create its niche? Through an end-to-end transparent customer service of the highest quality. Along with eye-catching furniture, it’s what gives them an edge over their peers. “From the installers, the fitters, the delivery vans, the warehousing, and the admin – it’s all in house, none of it is sub-contracted,” explains Firdaus. The brand goes the extra mile to ensure that every sale becomes a relationship, making them a sought-after partner in the premium business. But staying competitive is a challenge and it takes all hands on deck to ensure the edges are always polished.
Putting together a multi-disciplinary team is a task in and of itself. Understanding each individual’s motivations and aligning their thinking and beliefs with the company’s culture is initially tough to build, but it’s what keeps them on top. The team holds brainstorming meetings to identify and address strengths and weaknesses. The collaboration also fuels learning, be it technical or not, and helps them deal with challenges as a team.
Forming the team and a culture they can align with were the two most daunting challenges for Firdaus. However, realising their importance, the CEO steered the company in this direction, encouraging each person to evolve in an environment where they support each other. Everyone is encouraged to take a dive into their ingenious mind and present their ideas. In this way, Firdaus has created a tribe of like-minded people whose energy and goals align. Many team members work remotely and stay connected through digital channels. “While technology keeps us connected, our core values are the glue that binds it all together,” says Firdaus. He further continues, “This is a place that people want to work at – there are so many opportunities to learn new things, to try something without fear of failure – because that’s a big thing for me.” He believes there are no wrong answers, and he encourages the philosophy that if something doesn’t work, they should learn from it and try something else.
Firdaus’s efforts in growing FCI London are also reflected in his growth as a leader. He is a member of the EO (Entrepreneur Organisation) Global Network, which aims to help entrepreneurs learn and grow and find peer support. It has around 14,000 members who seek collaborative growth and a safe place to speak honestly about their ideas as well as their failures and successes. As a leader, Firdaus believes seeking guidance helps in shared learning, which is humbling and empowering. EO has helped him grow as a leader and a mentor for others.
This has helped him identify and develop his team’s strengths and guide them in all quarters of their growth. For instance, the financial crisis of 2007-08 brought a wave of challenges to his business. To survive, he had to reinvent and shut many of his brand’s showrooms, which was a huge blow. But, in that despair, he realized the importance of overcoming setbacks, including the value of building a really strong team. He believes a great leader is always nurturing, supportive and an effective coach.
His and his team’s efforts have garnered many accolades, including ‘Best Showroom,’ ‘Best Interiors,’ and others. But the real fruits of labour are the customer reviews. Rather than categorizing reviews as beneficial or negative, they concentrate on what they can learn from them and use the compliments to gauge success.
Over 3 decades, FCI London has attained new heights, but the journey is far from over. Now is an era of spontaneous transformations, and the brand aims to change with it. The brand has set goals in two areas: doubling their team and developing a platform that will change the way customers access interior designs, allowing them to optimise their living spaces. FCI will create a space that is visually appealing to customers’ personalities and will contribute to their overall satisfaction. There is so much more yet to come.
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Business Talk is a digital business magazine that caters to CEOs, Entrepreneurs, VC, and Corporates. While working with entrepreneurs and business executives, we focus not only on their achievements. Our mission is to shed light on business entities, including their innovations, technological benchmarks, USPs, and milestones/accolades.
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