The market for luxury bathroom fittings is still small in Yangon.

LOCAL buyers are increasingly choosing luxury brand furniture over cheaper imitations because of the connotations of success that come with the purchase, according to an imported furniture retailer.

Daw Khin Marlar, managing director of the NatRay Co Ltd said the market for imported luxury furniture from brands including Lorenzo, Dunlopillo and Osim has expanded as people’s knowledge of global brands expands.

“Customers are proud to use branded luxury furniture because it shows the image, the status, of the house owner in a similar way to expensive jewellery,” Daw Khin Marlar said. “While it takes long time and a big investment to establish a world-wide recognised brand, we can own a piece of that brand easily just by paying a few lakh. Customers who have international experience know very well on this matter.”

The products also represent the lifestyle that the customers want to attain, she said.

“People are now thinking to themselves, ‘How well do I live?’ rather than ‘How do I live?’. Customers are putting more emphasis on what they see as a healthy and inspiring lifestyle that will give them satisfaction.”

The quality of the products is also a major selling point.

“The first reason that customers are looking to buy branded furniture is because of their quality. It is almost impossible to judge the fineness of a product by looking only at the cover. Clients are increasingly coming to understand this fact,” she said. “In this case, customers are more interested to buy branded goods because they have an assurance on the quality of the product,” she said.

She said that some of the furniture in her showroom is not just for luxury and they also have health advantages, which also proves attractive to customers.

“Most of our furniture we sell has special features such as anti-dustmite coating and are carefully designed to care for your spine – this creates a healthy lifestyle for the family.”

She said popularity of luxury furniture and homewares could be seen in the number of competitors in the local market and the range of branded goods available.

“This is a good sign for the local market. Customers have more opportunities to choose the best products and the market will develop faster with more competition,” she said.

Daw Khin Marlar said she was confident her business will continue to be a leader in the market despite the strong competition.

“As a luxury retailer, we have to make sure customers are satisfied – that we are selling quality products at reasonable prices and providing excellent service,” she said.

But while luxurious homewares for the lounge, dining room and bedroom are becoming more popular, the number of retailers selling luxury bathroom fittings is still small.

U Khin Maung Cho, manager of the Arts Sanitary Wares and Nobility Doors said that while there was a limited market, he believed demand would continue to rise if retailers offered quality products.

His company imports the Appollo brand and he said steam boxes, massage bathtubs and sauna steam showers were popular with customers.

“People are more interested to use branded sanitary wares because they have more contact with foreign countries and they can see the hygienic advantages of these products,” he said.