DESVRES

Located in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais region of France, Desvres is one of the few companies in the world to combine a complete range of ceramic floor and wall coverings with its installation solutions. It is the only tile manufacturer to have obtained the Origine France Garantie label.

History. The earthenware industry developed in the city of Desvres around the middle of the 18th century. The first art earthenware factory was founded there in 1764: the Fourmaintraux factory. This one is quickly recognized for its reproductions of traditional decorations of Moustiers, Gien or Quimper. With this know-how, François Fourmaintraux Courquin integrated, in 1863, the creation of earthenware tiles. It is the official birth of the company Desvres. In 1912, Charles, son of François, joined Charles Gand, whose heirs would sell their shares in 1915 to Maurice Delassus. The company then took the name of Fourmaintraux & Delassus (F & D). A turning point occurred around 1930, when the two leaders decided to devote themselves exclusively to the production of tiles, abandoning the art earthenware factory.

F & D developed the technique of single firing, then reoriented towards mosaics, with the advent of the Ceralux brand in 1958. In 1963, F & D collaborated with the Swiss company Cermix, and developed Cermicol, a thin-set mortar for laying on thin layers. Thus began the "implementation products" activity.

In 1982, F & D sold its shares to Origny Desvroise, a dynamic company already active in cement and materials trading, which continued the diversification initiated in 1974 with the acquisition of MCM, a company specialising in floor tiles. It was in 1983 that F & D took a new name: Desvres. This is followed by the takeovers of the Boussois (59), Landrecies (59) and Sorgues (84) plants.

Desvres joined the Belgian group Koramic in 1995. This acquisition corresponds to the evolution of the market, which is marked by an increasing demand for large format tiles and porcelain stoneware. Abitare, a brand dedicated to the top of the range, was created in 2004 and completes Desvres' global offer.

Desvres is recognized throughout the ceramic market as a leading player. In 2017, Koramic acquired the Cerabati SA Group to create the "Koracer Group", which became the French leader in the manufacture of ceramic tiles and brought together the Desvres, Alfacaro and Cerabati brands.

The Group is labelled Origine France Garantie, a quality brand and the desire to guarantee the preservation of industrial know-how and support for local employment.

The products. Kitchen tiles, bathroom, living room, terrace, glues, elements to be tiled (panels, shower trays...).

Employment: Mainly specialized in building products, the group has a turnover of 600 million euros and employs more than 6,000 people. The Ceramic Products Division now has 380 employees and generates more than €60 million in sales in France.