CAIRO: Entering Archimedia's newest showroom — set to open its doors later this month — in Designopolis is like walking into a plush, modern home, with a sleek feel that makes the customer feel hip to kick back and relax. The firm specializes in providing entertainment systems and automation to homeowners — or stated another way, bringing all home electronic systems under the control of one remote — and sells some of the world's leading electronics brands such as Bowers & Wilkins, Meridian and Sonos to name a few. To match the quality of the products on the display room floor, Omar Hikal, CEO of Archimedia, realized that it was crucial that the showroom emulate the experience of owning such products. The showroom, Hikal explained, is meant to “create an [experience]” for the customer. “We wanted a showroom that looked like [a customer's] living room and bedroom,” he said. To bring the showroom concept to fruition, Archimedia sought out a UK-based firm, KVB Design, specializing in retail design for the company's latest and upcoming showrooms. After introducing Archimedia to the Egyptian market in May 2007 by opening their first local showroom in Maadi, the firm quickly realized that demand was bullish. This prompted the company to open their next showroom in Designopolis, a shopping complex located 6 km after the toll station on the Cairo-Alex Desert Road. In essence, the shopping complex is a sort of one-stop-shop for customers seeking to fill their homes with the latest chic appliances and related items. Hikal explained how he and his partners came to the idea of launching such a venture: “We realized that there was a big gap in what was being offered in the rest of the region in terms of home technologies,” thus paving the way for the company's first store, which debuted in 2004 in Dubai. Archimedia initially wanted to concentrate on the spending power of consumers in the Gulf countries and then branch out. Notwithstanding Archimedia's rapid success in the Egyptian market, as it turns out, Cairo “wasn't even on the radar,” he said. Asked what prompted Hikal and his team to introduce Archimedia to the Egyptian market rather than continue expanding in the Gulf, Hikal said, “We found a lot of Egyptians coming to us in Dubai, asking us to [install systems] in their homes.” Chairman Karim Zaki conducted a market study, which showed that Egypt was ripe for Archimedia's concept; after which he and the Archimedia crew went with their “gut,” as he put it, and expanded their business to the Egyptian market. The firm's first store in Maadi proved to be a success owing to a developing, growing market, which spurred Archimedia to expand by opening a second store in Designopolis. Already present in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the next showroom is set to open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by spring 2011 and possibly Qatar the year after. According to Hikal, what sets his company apart from others, of which he says there are only but two to three locally, is the level of quality. The firm is a member of Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA), a trade organization dedicated to Archimedia's industry, which sets standards, offers training programs and holds conferences and seminars every year. “There aren't many members in this region, but we are one of the few companies in the region that employs CEDIA certified technicians and system designers,” he said. He pointed out that being a member signifies that a company guarantees a certain level of quality: “To be a member and become certified, you have to go through test.” In fact, Hikal sat on CEDIA's international board for two years. Tailor made Archimedia customizes products to customers needs, provide systems that are aimed towards sports or jazz lovers, families that want to entertain guests on a regular basis or even for families that want a system for video games for their children, he said. To understand what a client's need in contrast to other integrators, said Hikal, who simply offer packages without getting to know the practical needs of their customer, Archimedia begins with an interview process when a new customer approaches the firm. Questions run the gamut and can be quite intimate, such as where a customer lives, how many children they have, their daily habits — whether they like to sit in bed in the morning, drink coffee and listen to the BBC, for instance. He added that Archimedia has had requests as specific as “wanting a stock ticker in the bathroom.” For such tailored products and services, the price tag can range from $4,000 for an entry level system to, well, “the sky is the limit,” Hikal frankly noted. Hikal and his partners attribute their success to using the top brands, attention to detail and understanding the intimate needs of their client — and knowing when to tell a client when enough gadgetry is enough. Quality and honesty is “what keeps bringing the client back,” he summed up.
