For 14 Oct.<\/p>\n
Intense competition in high-end furniture market<\/p>\n
Burhanuddin Abe
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Furniture nowadays is regarded as something that is more than
\nmerely functional in nature. The trend is now moving in the
\ndirection of branded furniture with high quality and elegant,
\nclassy designs. Even local brands have created their own
\nrespectable niches.<\/p>\n
Da Vinci, for example, is now the favorite furniture brand of
\nthe rich and famous in Indonesia, and remains the dream of those
\nwho cannot afford its price, which range between tens of millions
\nand hundreds of millions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
Established in Indonesia on Jan., 1995, PT Davincindo started
\nmarketing Da Vinci furniture from its shop in the Duta Merlin
\nshopping complex in Central Jakarta. Within a couple of years,
\nthe business was flourishing and further branches were opened by
\nthe owner, Tony Vuagh, in Fatmawati and Melawai, South Jakarta,
\nas well as in Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Currently, the company owns a 32-story building on Jl.
\nJenderal Sudirman in the \"Golden Triangle\" business district of
\nJakarta. The towering building houses not only the company's main
\nshowroom but also 40 exclusively designed apartments. Rhenald
\nKasali, one of the country's best known marketing experts and a
\nsenior lecturer at the University of Indonesia, said that the
\ncompany's steady progress was due to its focused marketing.<\/p>\n
\"Though having a limited number of customers, they focus on
\nthe niches with the most potential,\" he said. Another of the
\ncompany's strengths is the personalized service and after-sales
\nservice it offers for its high quality, original, imported
\nfurniture. It also provides its customers with interior-design
\nconsultancy services.<\/p>\n
Da Vinci sells imported furniture from various countries. From
\nthe United States come such renowned brands as Thomasville,
\nHenredon, Jeffco, Ferguson and Copeland, while from Italy they
\noffer Natuzzi, Gasperini, Cappelletti and Turri. And then there
\nare famous furniture brands like Vidal Grau, Mariner, Vincente
\nZaragoza and Movi, for example, from Spain.<\/p>\n
In the past few years, local brands bearing foreign sounding
\nnames have flooded the market. Among those offering contemporary
\ndesign are Aesthetica, Moye, Vinoti Living, Floral Home, Milenia
\nand Chantique. Meanwhile, local brands like Sari Karya Furniture
\nand Kin Furniture have adopted the classical style. Design- and
\nquality-wise, they have been accepted by the well-to-do, while
\nstill being much cheaper than their imported counterparts.<\/p>\n
Vinoti Living is one of the strong contenders in the furniture
\nbusiness. The company behind the brand, PT Graha Vinoti
\nKreasindo, was formed by architect Halistya Pramana. Vinoti
\nLiving merchandiser and head of project division Viki Griffiths
\nsaid that the company was established 15 years ago and its brand
\nimage started to grow popular ever since and further in the past
\nfive years. During the starting period Vinoti Living concentrated
\non office furniture, but due to consumer demand it had spread its
\nwings by offering quality household furniture in recent years.<\/p>\n
With its original base of office-furniture customers, it has
\nbeen quite easy for the company to compete in the household
\nfurniture sector. Apart from word-of-mouth recommendations,
\nVinoti has conducted aggressive advertising and promotion
\ncampaigns using various media. The annual promotion budget is set
\nat more than Rp 400 million (about US$47,000). Vinoti also
\nparticipates in house-and-home exhibitions and shows.<\/p>\n
With its minimalist designs, Vinoti's products cost less than
\nthe sort of classical items produced by famous local producers.
\nAnd its price tags are normally only less than half those of the
\nimported brands.<\/p>\n
From its 8000-square meter plant in Cikarang, West Java,
\nVinoti which employs about 600 employees -- almost every three
\nmonths -- launches new designs or rework earlier products. Their
\nrange of products cater to every need in the office and household
\nfurniture markets.<\/p>\n
While in 1999 the company owned only one showroom, in the
\nPlaza Senayan mall, South Jakarta, today it has four in Jakarta,
\nand one each in Bandung, Surabaya, Bali and Singapore. It also
\nhas an affiliated wholesaler in the United States.<\/p>\n
Vinoti outlets seal between 30 and 40 transactions per shop
\nper day, and the total number of items sold normally run to about
\n2,000. Even in the \"quietest\" months, at least 50 Vinoti beds are
\nsold.<\/p>\n
Reeza Budhisurya, the owner of Pernique furniture gallery in
\nKemang, South Jakarta, said that undoubtedly local brands had
\nstarted to dominate the contemporary style category due to their
\nequally good quality, design and finishing. Reeza, who has
\ndesigned the interior of a number of hotels in Jakarta and Bali,
\nsaid the minimalist design produced by local players is on a par
\nwith that of the world's leading manufacturers. Local players, he
\nsaid, also incorporated a total-interior-package in the sale of
\ntheir products, including accessories, works of art, handicrafts,
\nand exquisite tables and chairs. \"They provide added value, which
\nreally increases sales,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Next to Vinoti Living, the other two furniture giants, Moye
\nand Milenia, are also strong contenders in the furniture business
\nand are brands that have to be reckoned with in this increasingly
\ncompetitive business. Another \"specialist\" is Aesthetica.<\/p>\n
Established in 1998, Aesthetica made its name with exclusive
\nproducts for the creme de la creme. With a 4,000-square-meter
\nplant in Gunungputeri, Bogor, West Java, that employs some 400
\npeople, Aesthetica imports most of its raw materials from Canada
\nand the United States to ensure the high quality of its products.<\/p>\n
Aesthetica furniture was initially marketed personally by the
\nfirm's owner to star-rated hotels in the country. Each
\ntransaction involved between three and four billion rupiah. The
\ncompany also operates out of its sales-cum-showroom center in
\nPlaza Senayan mall, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Aesthetica in recent years has been expanding its scope to
\ninclude the household furniture market. Besides furniture,
\nAesthetica also provides interior-design consultancy services as
\nwell as such things as matching floor and wall tiles. Some of its
\nproducts are understandably costly, not only due to their high
\nquality, but also the fact that most are made to order.<\/p>\n
Competition in the furniture business involves a never ending
\nbattle. Like the owner of Aesthetica said, the size of his
\nbusiness today is much reduced compared to what it was four years
\nago. Margins are also smaller. Probably this is due to the large
\nnumber of brands available, both imported and local -- all
\nfighting it out to grab a share of the market. Which, of course,
\nis where the survival of the fittest becomes the name of the
\ngame.<\/p>\n
---<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/for-14-oct-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }