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A “Design City” will be Erected in Porto

19 December 2017

The Portuguese Cover Design Group, which owns internationally famous furniture and decoration brands such as Boca do Lobo, Delightfull, Essential Home and Maison Valentina – will market the new 80,000 m2 project.

Located a few kilometres from Porto, the new “city” is a new “industrial pole sporting an innovative design. Construction will start in January 2018” for an estimated cost of 50 million euros. The new concept will combine the group’s 43 businesses in a single space, promising to boost the economy, generating new jobs in the region, in a city designed to receive around 2,500 people.

“We dream of collecting great thinkers, makers, retailers, the press or just design lovers, for the great celebration that is design!” Ricardo Magalhães, Head of Design, stated, adding that “a new era of design is about to arrive.” The cornerstone launching ceremony is scheduled for January 5, at 3 pm, in Gondomar.

An innovative concept

The Covet Group is a creative company that brings together some of the best, internationally recognised design brands. The brands are entirely handmade in Portugal, and Boca do Lobo was the founding company. At present, it is a holding company with 43 distinct businesses, including the design, creation, communication, and manual production of furniture and lighting brands, such as Brabbu, Circu, Delightfull and Luxxu.

The group, which currently employs around 500 people and contributes to about 500 indirect jobs, plans to bring together a large part of the business in a single space. In the first stage, an investment of €25 million is guaranteed, and works are expected to be completed by the end of 2018. The overall completion of the project is planned for the year 2020, with a total budget of 50 million euros expected.

With about 80,000 m2, the place located in the city of Gondomar will have several buildings that will serve the different specialities. The group is following a business logic that promises to combine “Thinkers” and “Makers”, and they intend to promote synergies between the different creative areas and communication with the artisans who shape the products. Creative spaces will be allocated to the teams responsible for brand management, marketing, digital marketing, sales and design.

The project also foresees a residential area, like the districts of the old industrial centres, to accommodate the Thinkers and Makers, foreign collaborators or even people coming from more distant areas of Portugal. Other spaces such as a library, the Covet Museum which will house the group’s most distinguished collections, and a supermarket to meet the needs of employees, will be some of the additional facilities provided. Boca do Lobo was the first brand to make this transition in November, changing its headquarters to the new city.

A space for conviviality and leisure

Outside, a large area of vegetation surrounds the whole area, where there are highly diverse fauna and flora and in which workers can enjoy various outdoor activities such as football, basketball, horse riding, and community gardens. A garden open to the public is also included in the project.

The managers of the group predict that by the end of 2018, all the businesses related to the management and communication of the group’s brands will have migrated to the new space. It is expected to be a gradual and structured change, whose last stage will be the transfer of production and logistics.

The Cover Group, which has been in operation for 14 years and is located in Greater Porto,  expects to reach 27 million euros in receipts in 2017 and generated income of €21 million last year.

The group has its offices and showrooms in London and the United States, in Virginia, but the Covet House Douro houses the principal showroom of the group’s products in an authentic setting, a mansion on the bank of the River Douro decorated by the group’s brands. The space can be visited by appointment and is open only to customers and partners of the group to enjoy a full experience in the world of interior design. Two adjacent plots of land were acquired during the summer of 2017, including riverfront areas of 1.2 km on the river Douro.

Original Story: Diário Imobiliário

Translation: Richard Turner