Certain buyers still prefer foreign brands

Certain buyers still prefer foreign brands

Sudibyo M. Wiradji
Contributor
Jakarta

The demand for imported furniture in the upper-income market
segment remains high despite the sharp increase in prices.

Although sales are not as strong as before the economic crisis
hit the country in 1997, imported furniture and interior design
products are still easy to find in local furniture stores.

One of the top centers for imported furniture and interior
design products is the Jakarta Design Center, where several
furniture companies have showrooms. At the center, you can find
sofas, dining tables, chairs, beds and cabinets. Each showroom
features top brands like B&B, Carpel, Cavinna, Keilnauer,
Extensis and FlexiStyle.

With imported furniture available here, you don't have to hunt
for imported furniture in Singapore or Hong Kong as many people
did in the past.

Before the financial crisis hit Indonesia in late 1997, sales
of imported furniture were brisk. Foreign brands, particularly
from Italy, had become the main choice for local buyers.

Besides individuals, orders also came from hotels, apartments
and office building owners. The economic meltdown and the
collapse of the rupiah changed buying trends. The collapse of the
rupiah against the dollar caused an increase of about 300 percent
in the price of foreign-made furniture. Although the sharp
increase in prices caused many imported furniture lovers to
return to locally made products, demand from corporate clients
and the rich remained stable.

If you are looking for urban tropical ambiance, then the place
to get imported interior design products is Temple Trees, located
at Jl. Senopati No. 41C, Kebayoran Baru, 50 meters past Apotik
Senopati, just before you turn left into the SCBD area. Here you
will find high-quality colorful hand-woven fabrics, and matching
cushion covers, bed linen and table linen; contemporary European
glassware and an array of colorful bags for children and adults,
clothing for both men and women and soft toys. The products
available at Temple Tress have a very eclectic style.

However, you can also find several high-quality products made
locally, designed and produced by foreigners and Indonesians.
These products include an array of unusual glass lamps, metal and
ceramic interior designer items, scented candles, various bags
and bed and table linen, wood, terracotta and stone craft. Temple
Trees, which serves as a gallery for Asian artists and
photographers, also sells Serta mattresses.

The company's products are primarily targeted toward
individuals, "but we have several products which may be used as
corporate gifts", said Veronika of Temple Trees.

Temple Trees works almost exclusively with the designers and
producers. "In general we do not cater to individual design
requests, with the exception of bulk orders or sofas which use
our fabrics. Sofas generally require two to three weeks
production time," she said.

The company offers discounts to wholesale buyers on a
discretionary basis. "We are extremely service oriented and we
will make every effort to ensure that our customers are taken
care of," Veronika said.

Temple Trees promotes a selected number of high quality
designers and producers from Asia and Europe.

If you prefer a sofa set with a semi-classical style, then a
visit to PT Malinda Furniture Gallery (MFG) can be the right
move. The company provides imported furniture tailored to the
needs of homes, such as sofa sets, dining tables and beds.

You can find here the latest model of FlexiSyle, made of wood
polished in such a way so to look like metal. The showroom
provides a computer link that enables customers to see what their
sofa will look like based on their choice of fabric and color.
There are 900 types of fabric and 300 choices of color. You can
also find other products from Karpel and Babmakcie.

The price of imported furniture varies, depending
on the size, product, brand and quality. One sofa at PT Decorama
Mitra Selars, for instance, costs about Rp 63 million (US$7,000).
A Cavinna brand bed sells for Rp 45 million (about $5,000). One
of the sofa sets at PT Malinda Furniture Gallery costs some Rp 40
million. A dining table sells for between Rp 20 million and Rp 40
million.

But if you need furniture for your office then you can visit a
showroom of PT Vinotindo Graha Sarana (VGS), a company that
specializes in the sale of imported furniture for corporate
offices.

The company's products are actually manufactured at local
factories under license. They have to pass strict quality
standards set by the brand owners.

The brand owners send teams here on a regular basis to monitor
the quality of the products. A sofa at PT VGS is sold for between
$200 and $4,000. A chair costs between $200 and $3,000.