Bangkok--3 Jul-- The ceramic tile industry is to brace itself against a new fierce competitor entering the market. D.P. Ceramics has developed into a serious market contender whilst at the same time, partnering with Cotto Tiles to launch the “Cotto Tile Studio.” The Cotto Tile Studio will be designed to be more modern as well as superior to anything built before it. The studio will be focused on targeting the condominium lovers with various choices and designs for a personalized feel to suit various lifestyles. It is expected that the Cotto Design Studio will boost sales in excess of 550 million baht to commemorate 27 years of excellence. Mr. Prasit Nopparatnapalai, maketting manager of D.P. Ceramic Limited whose company is responsible for the sales of home decorative products, ceramic tiles, as well as other home furnishing has explained that presently, the consumer market is becoming highly developed and sophisticated. The company’s main objective is to deliver to the consumers what they want and much more. The new strategy to penetrate the market is to deliver to the consumer quality products with a various range of choices through a easy and accessible distribution channel. Recently, D.P. Ceramics has modernized its product showroom in accordance with consumer demands for a more sophisticated store. Also, to cater to the true fans of the products from Cotto, the company has decided to introduce the Cotto Tile Studio under the theme “The biggest and best cotto in town.” To build this studio and showroom, D.P. Ceramics has increased the original showroom space for Cotto from 150 square meters to 600 square meters. This increase in space is make this showroom equivalent to the Cotto Libery located on Asoke Montri road. The studio will be equipped with the most modern facilities as well as a team of professional sales personnel that will give the utmost attention to its customers. Also, the Cotto Tile Studio will provide its customers with a 3D design system that will pre-design the customer’s toilet so that they can see exactly what they want before buying. The renovation cost to build the Cotto Tile Studio will be over 7 million baht. D.P. hopes that with this investment, it will be able to bring a new era of customer care and service. Mr. Prasit added that “The new shower is to celebrate the friendship and corporation between D.P. and Cotto for over 20 years. The showroom will be totally different from regular distributors from its much larger size as well has design team that will give the customer a one stop service shop. We will be able to provide the customer with consultations, design simulations, on-line inventory checks, as well as introducing them to new products in the marker.”A Trendy style for the new generation of consumers D.P Ceramics has been in service for more than 27 years and has a total area of over 1,300 square kilometers. In the past, D.P. Ceramics has been able to build trust with its clients. D.P. Ceramics has also taken responsibilities for all of its actions as well as a superior quality in service through an experience team. The new renovation will increase the area for Cotto significantly to 600 square meters and the other 700 square meter will be allocated to other products such as Kohler, Karat, American Standard, NAHM tile RCI, UMI, Duragrace Sosuco, and other imported products. During the time that D.P. Ceramics has been offering is service to the public, it has always put the importance of its customers first and foremost. It has always focused on developing the distribution channels so that it keeps up with the most current trends. The trendy theme that D.P. Ceramics has the reputation for is why it believes that it will be bale to corner the new generation of consumers as well as the premier customers.Further Expanding to Cater to Hoteliers Most existing D.P. Ceramic’s clients are large development projects. Past projects such as The Park Chitlom, Magnolia Housing Development, Supalai Casariva, Nusasiri Ekamai, Noble Ambience Ruam Rudee and Sarasin, Krisadanakorn, and TCC Capital land projects has all been part of the D.P. Ceramic family. The vast experience that D.P. Ceramic has is why it has such an edge over any of its competitors. At the moment, D.P. Ceramics has one showroom in the capital at Talinchan. The company has ambitious plans to extend their services to other areas in Bangkok and plans to open new distribution centers in the future. Within the next 2-3 years, D.P. Ceramics will be planning to open new showrooms in the north of the capital as well as the east of the capital. This is to directly target new hotel developments in the capital.A Bright Future Ahead With Expected Sales of 550 Million In 2008, D.P. Ceramics has put aside over 10 million baht for its marketing strategies. 70 percent of the budget will be put aside for above the line marketing and the other 30 percent for below the line marketing. Many promotional activities and exhibitions are also planned to help push sales up by 30 percent in the first half of this year. In the past year, the company has boosted sales of over 450 million baht, which accounts for its 25 percent in growth. At the moment, it holds the third highest market share and after the new showroom opening, it hopes to gain an even larger market share. To promote the new opening of the showroom, the company is planning a special promotion to help boost its initial sales. From today to the 31st of July 2008, after a purchase of over 50,000 baht, you will be given a free micro-wave! After 100,000 baht, you will be given a free refrigerator. After 200,000 baht, a new home theater system! And lastly, after a purchase of over 300,000 baht, you get to take home a brand new 32 inch LCD TV.A Change in Consumer Trends Prompts the Company to Adapt and Evolve It has recently been revealed by Dr. Prinya Sainamthip, Managing director of Ceramics Industry Limited that the ceramic tile market now has to keep a very careful eye on global and local crisis such as political unrest and the ever increasing oil price. The price of raw material has also been increasing rapidly every year which has also been affected by the sub-prime crisis in the United States. Other foreign importers which are new to the market has also create and intense feeling of competition within the ceramic tile market. However, despite these global setbacks, the government’s mega projects and other development projects have been critical in improving the industry as a whole. Consumer behaviors have also been changing rapidly and are becoming much more sensitive to fashion trends. Now, the consumers want more choices to be able to express their freedom and individuality as well as lower prices and higher quality products. This has pushed the industry to develop into a much more sophisticated market. For the design and color of the ceramic tile has been developed and designed to the consumer’s lifestyles. More environmentally friendly colors are becoming very popular such as light green, light brown, and other colors with soft tones. On the other end of the spectrum, consumers are looking for colorful and bright designs to reflect the joys in their life. A change from the past is that instead of small ceramic tiles, consumers are looking to use larger sets of tiles. This means that the consumers are paying much more attention to personalizing their homes to suit their tastes and to create a sense of uniqueness. This direct attention being paid by the consumers is why it is important to create more distribution centers in order for it to be more accessible and convenient for the masses. Dr. Prinya stated that “The development made by D.P. Ceramics is a new dimension of modern business developments. The company has listened to the needs of the consumers and was able to respond to the market immediately, almost in real time. This is why we believe that D.P. Ceramics has taken the right path and will be incredible successful with it future ambitions. Contact for information Jeeranan Limpapas 081-850-8837 / jeeda_pr@hotmail.com