
How long have you been in business?
The first project emerged 35 years ago as Hidalgo Monci Iluminación. I joined the project with Fuerza y Luz when I was finishing my degree 22 years ago. Despite being two different companies, both share lighting projects especially in the area of Marbella where we are best known.
Why illumination? What attracted you to this line of work?
My grandfather started in the electrical equipment sector 50 years ago as a representative. Every morning he would take his suitcase full of pegs, plugs, etc. and he drove through the villages selling from door to door. The business started to get better and better until he managed to set up his own warehouse, But after about 20 years he joined them too. The company grew in Marbella, Madrid and Melilla until in the 90’s when it went through a serious crisis. At the same time my grandfather had bought a store, where he began his journey with Fuerza y Luz as a parallel business. Once Electricidad Hidalgo began to die, my father took the reins of Fuerza y Luz until he could also re-launch Electricidad Hidalgo with another nearby store.
During this time I finished my studies in Economics, which I combined in helping in both family businesses. I started doing job interviews and I got selected at a Bank. When they called to offer me the position, I realized that I didn’t want to work for anyone.
I met with the family and asked for the freedom to develop the business. It was clear that they didn’t want a lamp shop but a design center for lighting projects. I started to train in the sector visiting European fairs, I studied lighting calculation software, and I visited important manufacturers, with the aim of growing the business. I wanted above all to introduce the creative element in the business, be closer to design and architecture. Little by little the store that I was working in, Hidalgo Monci, began to grow within the lighting sector. So much so, that the family finally gave me all the commercial responsibility. I created a team to strengthen the design part with architects and interior designers. In this process I contacted a group of architects who also carried out international projects, which allowed me to work in Angola, Miami, England and southern France. All this consolidated us as a brand in the Marbella area. Today we are partners of Marmorin Design Center, a large design showroom in the middle of the golden mile that brings together different sectors of high-end interior design.