Origin acquires Union Tiles and bets on its 100+ years of profitability
Origin Enterprises, a diversified and acquisitive group led by Gary Shayne, has acquired Union Tiles – one of South Africa’s longest-standing privately held businesses.
Founded in 1922, the renowned tile distributor and retailer has turned a profit for more than a hundred years under the Ghisleni family.
The acquisition marks a meaningful addition to Origin’s fast-growing Consumer pillar ahead of the group’s anticipated JSE listing, which is expected in the latter half of 2026.
Union Tiles is no ordinary business. It is a household name that has been laying the floors and walls of South African homes and landmark destinations for more than a century.
It runs three divisions: ceramics, natural stone sourced from more than twenty countries, and its own terrazzo tile and cement products manufacturing.
Union Tiles operates behind a stable of brands that includes Africote coatings, the premium retailer San Marco, and Dia Star.
It is also the country’s largest and longest-standing terrazzo tile manufacturer and in-situ installer, earning from both major project fit-outs and everyday retail.
Its work shows up in places most South Africans have walked through, including Gautrain stations, the V&A Waterfront, and De Beers.
It is a business of real scale, with more than 440 people across eleven branches and studios nationwide, and a footprint that is still growing.
Behind the acquisition
Shayne explained that Union Tiles is exactly the kind of company Origin values.
“A hundred years of profit is not luck. It comes from vertical integration, from knowing your product better than others, reflecting that in your brands and keeping customers for decades,” said Shayne.
“This is very hard to build, and it’s harder to replicate.”
For Origin, keeping the founding family in place was important. As a result, Marco Ghisleni and Robert Ghisleni are both staying on to run the business they grew up in.
“We have had approaches over the years and turned them down,” said Robert Ghisleni.
“Origin was interested in our heritage and excited about what we have built.”
“The brand’s legacy mattered to them. They want the business to grow and they were happy for us to keep leading it,” added Ghisleni.
“After a hundred years in the family, that mattered to us.”
Exciting growth opportunities
Union Tiles is uniquely positioned in the home improvement market, with a broad product range spanning natural stones, ceramics and sanitaryware.
Demand for tile and surface finishes is underpinned by home renovations, the development and upkeep of commercial property, and a steady appetite for imported European product at the top end, where Union Tiles has a long-standing foothold.
The acquisition fits a deliberate investing strategy: Origin backs proven operators with a clearly durable competitive position. It is not interested in trophy assets.
Shayne sees room to take the business further, both by growing the existing divisions and through bolt-on acquisitions in a tile and surfaces market that is still fragmented.
“We are selective about what we acquire, but businesses that last a century are rare,” said Shayne.
“We acquire these businesses because they have proven they can win, and then we go to work, finding the next opportunity, opening the next door, and helping great businesses endure and become even better,” added Shayne.
“That is what we are doing here: we are building for the next hundred years.”
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