Arawole’s World Of Leather

 

 

By Kemi Akinyemi

Bimbo Arawole is a success story. Her transition from a mere store owner to a dominant player in furniture making and interior decoration makes her such. Arawole is the brain behind Leatherworld, the highly acclaimed luxury furniture company. Before establishing the company in June 1994, she ran a mini-gift store and beauty salon. Then came a switch in focus to furniture making and interior decoration.

 

Leatherworld was established to meet the need for upscale furniture in the Nigerian market at a time when there was a dearth of such.  In about 16 years for which it has existed, Leatherworld has consistently brought innovations to the furnishing business. Its track record of zero-reject is still an industry standard. In its drive to give clients the best, Leatherworld entered into an alliance with NIERI, an Italian company. NIERI is one of the world’s most renowned contemporary and traditional furniture manufacturers, known for its exclusive home designs in wood and flowered leather. Leatherworld, in partnership with NIERI, established an assembly and manufacturing company known as Concourse Industry, which is located at the Calabar Free Trade Zone. The company was commissioned by the late Mrs. Stella Obasanjo in February, 2005.

 At the heart of the business was a desire, by Arawole and her partners, to raise a well -trained team of Nigerian furniture makers. Presently, much of the work is being done by Nigerians and the NIERI standard is still maintained. Some of the raw materials are locally sourced, while others are imported. This venture has been successful, as the partners were further inspired to open a new factory. Arawole started operations from a small office space on Ribadu Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. After a couple of years, she moved to a more spacious office and established what was to become one of the biggest furniture showrooms in Nigeria. The showroom occupied a floor space of 1,5000sq meters, on three levels. And in 2007, the company moved to its permanent site called The Concourse Place. It is located in Lekki. Aside setting up a branch in Abuja, Leatherworld also has a branch on Joel Ogunnaike Street, Ikeja GRA. Arawole was born 47 years ago. She attended Pitman College, London, and the Regent Academy of Designs and Fine Arts. She also holds a Postgraduate degree in Interior Designing from the London Design School. She sits on the board of many blue chip companies. Arawole also plans to take Leatherworld to other African countries.

 

 

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