From the Thonet Villa, a representative center of the company TON has emerged

Bystřice pod Hostýnem (Kroměřížsko) - The company TON from Bystřice pod Hostýnem, which is one of the largest European manufacturers of bent wooden furniture, yesterday ceremoniously opened the reconstructed Thonet Villa. The building, which is located in the premises of the furniture company, was built in the 19th century by the founder of the factory, Michael Thonet. It will now serve as a representative and exhibition center for the company's sales department. Petr Koutský, the company's CEO, said this to ČTK today.
    The reason for the costly reconstruction, which lasted nearly a year and a half and cost approximately 25 million crowns, was primarily the poor technical condition of the building. "In a way, it is also a kind of moral obligation to honor the name of the Thonet family into the future, as this building previously served as both a family residence and the center for managing all of Thonet's factories," added Koutský.
    In the ground floor of the reconstructed building, a representative space has been created where the company will display and present sets of the various types of furniture produced. The first floor will house its sales department.
    The Thonet Villa was commissioned by the founder of the bent furniture factory in 1873. Various branches of the family lived in it until the time when the factory was nationalized and the family had to leave Czechoslovakia. For several decades, it served, for example, as a health center but gradually fell into disrepair. The reconstruction has now restored the appearance it had at the time of its creation.
    The joint-stock company TON, which was established in 1994, is one of the largest employers in the Zlín Region. Last year, the company generated approximately 968 million crowns in sales of goods and its own products and services, reporting a profit of 8.3 million crowns.