Glaze Granite & Marble to provide COANTE Quartz in the UAE
Glaze Granite & Marble, the UAE’s largest marble importer has been appointed as the sole distributor of Coante® Quartz. The company Coante Quartz Surfaces is one of the latest & most advanced BRETONSTONE® – Italian technology plants, located in Turkey. Coante® prides on having state of art robotic technology to make veined marble designs in quartz slabs for countertops, with a warranty of 20 years.
BRETONSTONE®- Italy was the first to develop the ground-breaking technology to manufacture engineered quartz stone plants in Italy and they remain the world leaders in engineered stone technology. Their trademarked plants produce the most durable and technically perfect quartz surfaces, guaranteed to give life to your kitchen countertop of 20 years or longer.
Coante® countertops are consist of 93-95% of natural Quartz minerals, Quartz in nature is one of the hardest minerals besides diamond and such a high percentage of quartz content in Coante® countertops make them resistant to scratch & impact. The non-porous structure of Coante® countertops do not allow for bacterial, fungal & mould formation, therefor they are hygienic. The non-absorbent character of Coante® keeps them stain-resistant & easy to care for and maintain.
Coante® offers aesthetic solutions for both modern and classical decorations. The jumbo size slabs make it possible for maximised use with minimum seaming.
Commenting on the development, Umesh Punia, [CEO, Glaze] said: “In last two decades GLAZE has become a synonym for quality stones in UAE. We have been providing the world’s best stone brands to our customers and helping them in creating their beautiful abode. This partnership with Coante® is yet another step towards providing the best brands to our clients and ensuring their satisfaction. BRETONSTONE technology quartz has its own marketplace and when it comes to veined marble design in quartz surfaces, Coante® is one of the top brands in the world’
Kenan Erdem, General Manager at Coante® says: “When we launched Coante®, we started looking for partners around the world. When it came to the UAE, the first name that came up was- GLAZE, and the way Glaze keeps the brand value of every product is remarkable. In fact, they elevate the brand to another level, from training the sales team to fabricators, contractors & overall marketing of any product at Glaze is rare to find elsewhere. We look forward to having a great partnership with GLAZE. Honestly, having our product displayed at GLAZE gives us the niche in other markets as well.”
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Glaze Granite & Marble appointed as official distributor of ARIOSTEA in the UAE
The UAE’s largest marble importer, Glaze Granite & Marble, has been appointed as one of the official distributors of ARIOSTEA, one of the leading Italian brands in high-end technical ceramics (or in large format Porcelain Slab).
ARIOSTEA was established in 1961 and it is part of the Iris Ceramica Group which is an example of excellence at an international level in the ceramics industry. The Group, based in Italy, has always had a strong innovative spirit often acting as a pioneer in the ceramic sector. Iris Ceramica Group still knows how to be unique in the sector: example the creation of eco-active ceramic surfaces. Ariostea, at the same time, expresses the main values of the Group with its cutting-edge products and state-of-the-art quality, creativity, and aesthetics. ARIOSTEA is renowned today as an international leader in design and innovation in large format technical ceramic slabs.
All ARIOSTEA slabs are developed, produced, and processed exclusively in Italy, using the latest advanced manufacturing technologies to create superior innovative designs. The strength, durability, and high precision quality of its slabs have allowed ARIOSTEA to remain the among the top-quality benchmark for brands around the world for the past six decades. The unparalleled designs & material quality of Ariostea is now available for UAE customers.
Commenting on the development, Umesh Punia, [CEO, Glaze] said, “In the last 25 years, we have focused on bringing the world’s best brands to the UAE to bring luxury and glamour to the homes & offices of our clients. This agreement with ARIOSTEA is another step towards fulfilling our clients’ expectations. Though, in the last 5-7 years, numerous brands of large format porcelain slabs have become available in the UAE, Ariostea stands definitively apart, due to its high precision print quality, especially in marble & onyx designs, thanks to the most advanced print technology developed by Ariostea through relentless research and development. Any homeowner or architect would love to specify these beautiful surfaces.”
ARIOSTEA can be used conventionally for floors and walls, for all types of surface applications, and even for furniture and accessories. These slabs can be used for interior and exterior design solutions, tables, kitchens, bathrooms, countertops, washbasins, swing doors and much more.
The Sales Manager at Ariostea, Alessandro Branzoni says, “We have always wanted to associate with a luxury marble company in the region, not only for sales & marketing, but also to gain insight and experience from the marble industry. Using the classical marble cutting and fixing techniques for large format technical ceramic slabs will bring a great transformation in the usage of large format ceramics from standard porcelain products. Overall, a natural stone look can never go out of style, and we are really excited about our new partnership with GLAZE and we would like to assure UAE’s home owners, architects and designers that as a team, we will give you the best experience possible.”
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Glaze Granite & Marble partners with Neolith as their official distributor in the UAE
The UAE’s largest marble importer Glaze Granite & Marble announces its partnership with Neolith, the leading large format sintered stone slab brand used for kitchen countertops, flooring, wall cladding and bathroom surfaces.
The Spanish sintered stone pioneer, Neolith, has given Glaze Granite & Marble imports and distribution rights for the UAE region. Neolith is a superior alternative for ceramic and porcelain stone, due to its durability, versatility, and unparalleled design quality. The most technologically advanced surface solution known today, Neolith, is now being offered to Glaze customers.
Umesh Punia, [CEO, Glaze] said: “We re-shaped the natural stone business in the UAE by radically transforming the way in which marble and natural stones were imported, sold & traded in the region. We built our legacy of over two decades in the Middle East because our discerning clients possess an understanding of aesthetics, quality, and have a taste for refined luxury. We work tirelessly to ensure consumers find their unique surface solutions through our brand, no matter how rare or exclusive the products may be. We are also taking substantial steps to connect with our customers and fulfill their expectations by bringing world’s best stone brands and offering them a wide array of choices in design, price, and patterns. This agreement with Neolith displays our commitment to contribute to UAE’s influential architectural legacy along with providing sustainable solutions for the architects, developers, and builders.”
Neolith is resistant to high and low temperatures, scratches, and UV rays. It is also incredibly easy to clean, and maintain, as it is waterproof, hygienic, lightweight and 100% Natural. It is produced in Large Format slabs with 4 different thickness options.
Dr Daniel Sanchez [COO, Neolith] says: “Neolith is indeed a revolutionary product, when we started in 2009, most people did not believe in the product, they had doubts about its ultra large size, ultra-thin dimensions, strength, and durability. Some people also mistook the product for porcelain. But, today, Neolith is the most fashionable and sought after engineered stone due to its durability, versatility, and breathtaking designs. We are extremely busy fulfilling orders from around the world.”
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Glaze Granite & Marble named official distributor of Caesarstone in the UAE
Glaze Granite & Marble, the UAE’s largest marble importer, has been appointed as a distributor of Caesarstone QUARTZ surfaces in the UAE. Caesarstone is the world’s number #1 Quartz brand.
Caesarstone has given Glaze Granite & Marble imports and distribution rights for the entire UAE region. Founded in 1987, Caesarstone is a pioneer in reconstituted Quartz surfaces. Other brands available in the market appeared only a decade after Caesarstone had already become a household name in the USA and Europe. Caesarstone has maintained its dominant position in the market through continuous investment in research, innovation, and product development. Caesarstone has continued to set new standards and trends for modern kitchen design.
Caesarstone is a BRETONSTONE technology product, made in the USA and Israel. Being an official distributor of Caesarstone in UAE, Glaze is now bringing world’s number one Quartz surface for its customers to enhance the aesthetic appeal of spaces.
Umesh Punia, [CEO, Glaze] said: “At Glaze, each one of us are committed to evolve with the changing needs of the customer since last two decades, keeping pace with the new trends. The agreement with Caesarstone is a testament of our passion for providing access to the world’s best quality stones to our customers. We continue to offer a wide range of products for the architects, developers, builders and homeowners.”
Caesarstone has been the first stone company to ever be publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The extraordinary worldwide sales and revenue records of the company speak to the long-term integrity of the brand. Moreover, Caesarstone was also the first quartz surface company to receive ISO 14001 (a global environmental protection standard), ISO 9001 (quality management standard), NSF (public health and safety) certifications, and the highly respected Good Housekeeping Seal from Good Housekeeping Research Institute.
EMEA Regional Managing Director, Amir Reske, said: “We are delighted to be working with GLAZE within the region. There is a huge opportunity for us to work in partnership, to help realize the kitchen dreams and ambitions of a sophisticated UAE consumer audience. Caesarstone is recognised as a luxury brand around the world and enjoys a significant consumer following in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Sidney, and Singapore, where our award-winning surface collections grace the finest and most fashionable homes. We are looking forward to achieving the same levels of success with GLAZE in the UAE.”
The wide variety of colours, styles, designs, and textures of Caesarstone products, along with the inherent characteristics such as hardness, durability, non-porosity, scratch, and stain resistance, provide consumers with functional and beautiful kitchen tops and surfaces.
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Splendour of marble – Design Middle East
Umesh Punia, CEO of Glaze Marble, talks about the brand’s core values, the newest addition of Neolith sintered stone to its state-of-the-art gallery, and the marble and granite popular trends
What is the brand philosophy of Glaze?
Since our inception, we have always focussed on the minor details that define quality. This philosophy has given us an identity, that despite beginning from an insignificant operation size, has shaped us into a renowned brand. Even today, being the largest importer of natural stones in the UAE, we stick to our philosophy and our quality. We radically changed the way marble or natural stone was selected, imported, sold & traded in the UAE market. In the late 90’s, when we began, natural stone was imported, stored, and traded in a shabby way, more or less similar to construction or masonry stone. So basically, we believed in the beauty of natural stone, and giving it the same respect as any gemstone in a Jeweler’s shop, this became our strength and brand. This different perspective completely reshaped the whole landscape of stone business in the UAE market. For comparison, if you see the marble companies and their stockyards in Qatar, or in Kuwait, or even in Oman, you can see a completely different scenario, with totally different quality and standards, a different price range, and no luxury products at all. So focussing on quality, details, and believing that the marble is no less than a diamond or a ruby, gives us a niche in the market – and then it is all about scaling. In a nutshell, the foundation stone was laid on the quality detailing of the natural stone which inspired our brand philosophy from the beginning.
What is your competitive edge in this market?
Undoubtedly, the UAE clientele, which has a good taste and refined appetite for quality products, in whichever field or segment that may be, we found our competitive edge. Initially, it was not about finding a competitive edge or something of that sort, it was just passion for the natural stone and marble. Finding new and better-quality natural stone was just a mere passion. In the late 90’s when I started travelling to Italy, I saw how many varieties and high-quality natural stones were being processed, imported to Italy from different corners of the planet for processing in Italy and then for re-export to the EU and North American countries. I was always wondering why our market is limited to some few basic colours. Why do those exotic stones have no presence in our market? That’s where the journey started to add new exotic colours to our collection. So, it was a bold attempt to try and introduce all those expensive and high-end stones. Of course, there were setbacks of dead stock as well, however,
eventually it became our strength and today we have about 400 colours of marble, granite and different kinds of natural stones in our collection. So, this huge range of collections, combined with our fundamentals of quality and detailing, gave us the cutting edge in the market over many companies that were well established for as long as 30-40 years. Not only that, but we also have many exclusive agreements for different materials for the UAE market. Each block (lot) of marble/ stone in our stone gallery is hand-picked from the best sources at the most competitive prices from different corners of the world.
Could you tell us more about your biggest state-of-the-art stone gallery in the Middle East?
It’s about the passion for the stone business if you have ever heard about the famous stone galleries of Verona (Italy), such as Antolini etc., whenever I was visiting those galleries, every time – the thought used to occur to me to make something like that in UAE, and we did an experiment on a smaller scale in 2007, and made a version of the same, but unfortunately this place was bit far, and despite the earlier version being ready in 2007-08, we were still operating from our old location. But in 2014, when we fully shifted to this location, it was very easy for us to recognise that it was indeed time to make something big, a masterpiece, and here we are today. We are once again very thankful to the Architects and Designers of the UAE who have that world-class taste and appetite to select their great gift of Mother Nature to enhance the esthetic appeal of their spaces. We got a tremendously positive response from everyone, from homeowner to designer or architect, that it was a world-class experience to come and visit our state-of-the-art gallery space. We can proudly say that it is a class apart in this part of the world. It’s not just about the infrastructure and the ambience of the building alone, but the huge collection, variety, and quality also. Every piece of the stone is carefully selected and handpicked. If you are a stone lover, it is irresistible for you not to pick out something or the other. Very often we hear from our clients that they come here just to choose something to enhance a small area, but after walking through our gallery, they purchase material for a much larger space than originally planned. Apart from top-quality marble from Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Turkey, we have 100% of super exotic granite and quartzite from Brazil. We also have a large range of semi-precious stone slabs, made of high-quality Agate, Crystals, and petrified wood etc., all these are made in Europe with extreme precision and the highest quality standards.
You are the official distributor of innovative surface—Neolith in the region. Share some features about this hi-tech surface and where all it can be used?
Neolith is undoubtedly the #1 sintered stone, it is a revolutionary product, and technologically speaking, the most advanced surface solution. It’s made from 100% natural minerals such as silica, quartz, feldspar etc. These minerals are grinded into a powder and then compressed very tightly, and then heated. So basically, this process is an imitation of what happens in nature to create natural stones, but in a factory setting, using ultra-modern technology to produce Neolith. Neolith is special because it is extremely versatile, it can practically be used for almost everything, such as flooring, wall cladding, kitchen tops, bar counters, furniture, landscaping …. basically everything. It is UV resistant, very hard to scratch, completely non-porous, fire-resistant, it comes in a large format, same as marble slabs. Moreover, the designs are truly stunning – especially the marble collection. One of the most distinguished features of the Neolith is its special finishes, such as ULTRASOFT, it gives the same touch and feels like marble.
Which is the most popular surface which gets repeated orders and why?
Trends in architecture and interior design are always evolving, it’s not that they change overnight, but they do transform in phases of 10-12 years. In the early 2000’s, mainly beige and brown were in vogue, most projects, whether residential or commercial, all were inspired by these warm themes and those days we used to sell the iconic marble Crema Marfil more than anything else, whereas these days it’s all about white and grey concepts, so now Statuario, a legendary white marble from Italy, is our best seller. Similarly, for kitchen tops, the Brazilian Quartzites have replaced the old black and red coloured granites. Now the reconstituted Quartzs are also fast sellers for the kitchen and countertops.