Ultra Screen System was the first dealer appointed to carry the US-based firm's whole product range exclusively.

Noulchol Pongsuwan, managing director of Hunter Douglas Thailand, said at least eight more galleries were in the pipeline.

To prevent these showrooms from cannibalising each other, Jim Tan, regional director for Hunter Douglas' window and curtain products, will make sure that a distance between them is maintained.

"So if Ultra Screen System is in Lat Phrao, we would probably open another exclusive store on Sathorn," he said.

He said the burgeoning urban condominium market in Bangkok was far more mature and sophisticated than the ones, for instance, in Kuala Lumpur, where he is from, or Manila.

Thailand has a much larger and growing high-end market than its neighbours, and behavioural changes among condo-dwelling urbanites also present untapped opportunities, he said.

But Hunter Douglas will first have to educate its target customers to tap this market's potential.

Traditionally, Asians hang curtains at their windows, but as domestic space gets smaller, blinds would be a better option, as they can control the direction of light and make the room look more spacious, he said.

Hunter Douglas does not sell just curtains and blinds, but "fashion and system", Tan said. The Dutch company pioneers technologically sophisticated blinds, which can control the amount of light let in.

Vachira Parinyausorn, owner and managing director of Ultra Screen System, said the partnership was timely as customers were growing more conscious and picky about design.

Through similar cooperation with dealers selected on strictly commercial criteria - location, loyalty, willingness to be trained ("Yes, don't ask me why businessmen have to stoop so low"), and previous sales performance - Hunter Douglas Thailand looks to maintain its 15-per-cent growth rate. That would outperform the forecast for the overall market by at least 5 percentage points, giving it turnover of up to Bt100 million.

Noulchol said Hunter Douglas Thailand had about 150 dealers but that most of them were furniture and hardware stores.

Ki Nan Tsui

The Nation