Raine & Horne plans expansion in RI

Raine & Horne plans expansion in RI

JAKARTA (JP): Raine & Horne Indonesia, the local franchise
holder for Australian property agent Raine & Horne, is planning
to open 30 offices across the country this year.

The company's chief executive officer, Djoni Hasjim, said here
on Tuesday that 20 Raine & Horne offices would be opened in the
country's major cities including Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Medan,
and Bali next month.

"And we are expecting to open another 10 franchise offices by
the end of this year in Semarang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta," Djoni
announced following a seminar on a new marketing system in the
real estate industry.

He said the offices would be owned by different companies
under franchise agreements with Raine & Horne Indonesia as the
master franchisee.

According to Djoni, Raine & Horne Indonesia started operation
in February this year after obtaining the franchise from Sydney-
based Raine & Horne, Australia's oldest property agency.

He said the Raine & Horne offices would specialize in housing
complexes.

As franchisor, Australia's Raine & Horne will provide training
for the marketing staff of its franchisees to ensure that their
services meet international standards, according to Djoni.

Djoni said the expansion was aimed at broadening Raine &
Horne's network in the country in anticipation of the predicted
recovery of the country's real estate sector after the
implementation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations'
Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 2002.

"Ahead of AFTA, we are preparing to net foreign investors who
come to invest here," he added.

According to Djoni, foreign investors prefer to look for
reputable property companies -- mostly foreign companies, to
ensure their investments in the country.

Raine & Horne Indonesia targets Rp 1 trillion in sales
earnings this year. (03)