Windows of opportunities for Hunter Douglas in 2007

Window fashions company Hunter Douglas Philippines, Inc. is looking forward to even greater growth in 2007. Encouraged by the upsurge in local property development, Hunter Douglas is poised to take full advantage of a market that values quality and performance.

At a dealer’s conference recently held at the Linden Suites in Ortigas Center, Window Products Sales Director Jet Bije talked about marketing strategy and disclosed new developments in Hunter Douglas’ line-up of products and services.

"We are keenly aware that many of the property development projects launched within the last two years won’t be completed until 2009 to 2010," explains Bije. "This means that there are still plenty of opportunities to add value to these developments through our product lines."

He pointed out the tremendous potential in different market segments, citing projected developments in residential, commercial, institutional and food and service markets.

Conservative projections for 2007 indicate 258 million square meters of property development for retirement villages, condominiums, townhouses and apartments. Meanwhile, office and condominium developments are expected to reach 895,000 square meters while schools add another 280,000 square meters of development.

Other potentially lucrative markets for Hunter Douglas include development of 780,000 square meters for restaurant and food outlets and 573,000 square meters of shopping center and supermarket projects.

"All of these projects will have windows," says Bije, "which is certainly reason to feel optimistic about achieving the 50 percent sales growth target we set for ourselves in 2007."

A game plan for success

Bije is also quick to point out that a large part of Hunter Douglas’ success in the Philippines can be attributed to their highly trained and motivated dealers.

"Our dealers will continue to play a crucial role in 2007 as we look for new ways to expand our services to include cleaning and maintenance in addition to introducing even more innovative products such us our environmentally-friendly Green Screen RS fabric," he adds.

With a reputation built on providing customized window solutions for every conceivable window design, Hunter Douglas takes pride in having dealers who can guide customers through the often overwhelming process of choosing the perfect window covering.

As part of its strategy for delivering the utmost in customer satisfaction, Hunter Douglas will continue its ongoing series of dealer training seminars designed to provide dealers with training in customer service, product orientation and presentation.

To further support dealers in properly presenting the latest window fashions, Hunter Douglas launched the first Hunter Douglas Windows Fashion Gallery in the last quarter of 2006. Several more galleries are planned throughout key areas in the Philippines in 2007.

Each Hunter Douglas Window Fashion Gallery is uniformly designed to showcase the wide variety of innovative Hunter Douglas window blinds for contemporary homes and establishments. These galleries will also feature highly trained sales staff who can take customers through every step of the decision making process and answer any of their concerns.

"With so many new Hunter Douglas products arriving each year, we needed a new way to promote and educate consumers about our products," explained Bije. "The Hunter Douglas Windows Fashion Gallery program allows us to partner with dealers and provide clients with the full range of styles and window solutions available to them."

Part of a regional marketing program initiated this year throughout Asia, the Hunter Douglas Window Fashion Gallery provides select dealers with the use of the Hunter Douglas name in their display, in addition to extensive marketing and sales support.

"With the establishment of these window galleries, clients will have easier access not only to our products but to the expertise of our highly trained and knowledgeable sales personnel," he concludes.

To discover the full range of Hunter Douglas window fashions, visit their website at www.hunterdouglas.com or visit the Hunter Douglas Windows Fashion Gallery nearest you. For more information, call (02) 4533155, 0917-8239241 and 0922-8089275, or email at [email protected].