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Murray's all set to conserve a family concern |
July 2007, Scotsman Business News
By Sharon Ward
SPENDING a gap year working in her father's building firm, Virginia Murray couldn't make up her mind about her future career prospects.
Thinking about physiotherapy, she quickly caught the building bug as an office junior working alongside her father. Although the post was just for a year until she made her career choice, following a transfer to the buying and sales department, Murray realized growth would come from building conservatories.
 She is now at the helm of Mozolowski and Murray, the Scottish conservatory building firm that grew from her father's general building business.
Last year, the Kinross based firm hit a £4.5million turnover. On average, the firm designs and installs 120 conservatories every year, with an average value of £37,500.
With growth of 10 per cent per annum over the past three years, Murray is selling conservatories ranging from £20,000 to £250,000 with many returning customers and some clients purchasing two.
Still privately owned, the firm's principal shareholders are Murray and Craig Hunter, the technical and production director.
"It was originally a family firm but my dad stepped back and sold his shares to us. Conservatories are a niche market and no-one was really doing it 20 years ago when dad started it - but we have developed it into a thriving business. We have focused on quality and built the business around it," she says.
It seems homeowners are now prepared to pay tens of thousands for the kind of sleek, custom-built, fully insulated and heated rooms that bridge the gap between house and garden.
 Working in Scotland for the past 20 years, Murray has no intention of entering other UK markets. Instead, she wants to grow the brand as very much a premium product, recognised for its craftsmanship, quality and individual design in Scotland.
"We do not offer modular or prefabricated ranges. We take on the whole project from start to finish and every design is unique. Our aim is to offer bespoke solutions for clients and their homes. The business has been steady over the years and we are focused only on the Scottish marketplace."
Employing 65 in Kinross, the company has expanded sales in the west and north of Scotland. A range of craft skills are employed, with plumbers, roofers, timber specialists, and lead and glass workers working in-house.
"The addition of a conservatory can bring value to a house. It is an all-year-round room and very much an extension of an existing home. We have a long order book and we are full until January 2008. It can take five or six months to go ahead with the building of the structure as we make sure all the planning and listed building consents are in place," adds Murray.
Like many small and medium sized enterprises, Murray is keen on strong financial and management credentials and is looking for market opportunities.
Last month, she opened a new design centre in Morningside, Edinburgh, relocating from a retail park in Dalgety Bay.
"This is a new phase of growth and development for us. It allows customers to touch and see what they are buying. We have also brought in new partners to offer add-on elements such as contemporary lighting, furniture and tiling."
The new partners include David Brown Lighting, Tony Walker Furniture, The Original Tile Company and Cameron McLean Blinds.
"We are continually developing the product we offer with new ideas, designs and quality of finish. The new partners bring exciting opportunities for us and another way of providing a better service," says Murray.
Over the years she says clients have planned their conservatories for all sorts of uses - one has a gym, many have installed kitchens, most use them as family rooms or for entertaining, often as a dining room.
"An orangerie-style conservatory in Edinburgh may be complemented by a music room in Perthshire or a 16-seater dining space in Ayrshire," she says.
Murray suggests that the cost of a conservatory will be added to the value of the home within two years. "If it has been properly constructed and well designed, you will without a doubt get your money back within a couple of years," she said.
"While our hard-wood conservatories start at about £20,000, it is not unusual for people to spend £120,000 on a conservatory. One we completed recently cost £250,000."
She says, although a conservatory is a huge investment for most people, rising house prices across Scotland have encouraged many owners to extend rather than move house.
 "You have to consider everything from how much sunlight a homeowner can expect on a particular side of the house to the temperature inside. It may be that a slate roof with glazed sections would be better than a glass roof, though it is also important to pick up on the architecture of the house.
"We take the time to get these details right and create the necessary harmony between the old and the new, the inside and the outside. We are also committed to environmental sustainability, sourcing hardwood through traceable and legal forests of origin and through the use of low-emission, high-performance glass," she said.
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