MFI's local partner Mercuries Group opened its first showroom in Taipei in July 2001, and plans to open 14 showrooms by year end.
Ingrid Jane, marketing manager of MFI International Taiwan, said: "We position ourselves as European and design-oriented, but our target is mass rather than high-end."
MFI is expected to face a positioning issue because Taiwanese customers perceive 'design' and 'European' as being synonymous with 'expensive'.
It found that local shoppers were intimidated when walking into an elegant home design shop or selecting furniture to fit a home.
MFI is seeking to address those issues through a Saatchi & Saatchi Taiwan-developed site. Prospective buyers who log on to mfi.com.tw will find a drag-and-drop Flash game that allows them to fit the modular kitchens and bedroom sets into the layouts of their homes.
Alongside its educational objective and with the paucity of local sites, the agency also chose to inject fun into the site, using a feng-shui game.
