The Catalan company that sets the table for the Pope and Rosalía's 'vips'

BarcelonaIn 1961, a group of residents from the Eixample were looking for tables and chairs to stage their amateur theatre play. On Muntaner street, in a Barcelona still under construction, an ambitious and restless entrepreneur, Jaume Soler, saw an opportunity and launched himself into the adventure. Why not offer a service to provide materials for specific events? What began 65 years ago as a neighborhood project has grown to unimaginable proportions. Three generations later, that company called Dasler has become a benchmark in furniture rental and has even set tables for events such as the wedding of Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin, the visits of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI to the Catalan capital, and the "VIP area of Rosalía's latest concert.

The current CEO of the company, Jaume Renedo, recalls his grandfather's tireless spirit. "He was an insatiable person; he always said he wanted to live 300 years because he had a thousand things to do," he reminisces from the central offices on the same Muntaner street, where as a child he celebrated his birthday parties and played with the tablecloths before taking them to the laundry.

Despite blurry childhood memories and some stories lost along the way, Renedo knows the company's trajectory well. During the 1960s, Dasler grew organically, gaining the trust of more clients in Barcelona and its surroundings, and opening warehouses on Còrsega street. In the 70s and early 80s, institutional meetings during Francoism and the Transition brought the business to a new dimension. "Events became massive, more so than now, with banquets for up to 8,000 people," points out the businessman.

But the great turning point arrived in the 90s, coinciding with the Barcelona Olympic Games and the previous incorporation in 1986 of Josefina Soler to the direction, mother of Jaume Renedo. The Catalan capital was opening up to the world to grow, and Dasler grew with it. "It was a very huge turning point", recalls Renedo, who defines the city as an environment that "is always moving". "There was a great economic joy", he continues, an atmosphere that meant the definitive consolidation of the business.

Since then, a job well done has marked Dasler's trajectory. "A place for everything and everything in its place", says a sign hanging on one of the walls of its central offices. "In the end, we are a service company that has a product and we rent it out. It's not rocket science, my grandfather used to say. What's important is that things arrive on time, well, and in the right quantities", maintains Renedo.

Business and innovation

Major events have marked Dasler's trajectory, but smaller-scale events still represent a significant part of revenue. Fairs at the beginning of the year, weddings between Easter and summer, and Christmas celebrations and company dinners to close the fiscal year are part of it. Also, gallery openings or audiovisual shootings. According to data provided by the company itself, Dasler hosts between 5,500 and 7,000 events each year, with a turnover of between 2.5 and 3 million euros and a staff of 26 direct employees.

The business's evolution has followed an upward trend, although the company has also had its ups and downs. After a financial crisis that deflated euphoria and the desire to celebrate, the COVID-19 crisis hit the project hard. "It was very tough because we were closed for nine months. Furthermore, we received no aid because we were not considered part of the hospitality or commerce sectors," recalls Renedo.

"But giving up is not the essence of the company," adds the entrepreneur, who, precisely during the pandemic, took the reins of the company and used the downtime to remodel facilities and optimize the warehouses it has in L'Hospitalet, currently over 7,000 square meters. In recent years, the group has begun to focus on creating its own furniture, reusing materials or acquiring new raw materials. "It not only allows us to reduce environmental impact and have a more exclusive product, but also one adapted to our needs: that it is easy to fold, with the right weight, that it fits in the vehicle. With this, you avoid doubling the number of vehicles and increasing transportation costs," he explains.

Regardless of new trends, Dasler looks to the future with optimism, convinced that its long trajectory will continue to endorse its work. "We live in a society where celebration is one of our foundations, and that is always good," he summarizes.