French-based home furnishings company Roche Bobois has recently set up an office in Hong Kong due to its reputation as a leading design centre, according to director Tony Luk.

"Hong Kong has a very sophisticated and stylish population," said Mr Luk. "European brands are very fashionable at the moment and French product lines are not so available in Hong Kong. This was an ideal time to enter the market as there is definitely a strong desire to have more of these product lines available."

Roche Bobois is positioned on the high-end segment of the furniture market and has developed three unique collections: Les Contemporains, Les Voyages and Les Provinciales to suit a wide range of different tastes.

"In our Hong Kong office, we get many visitors from Singapore, China and the Asian region who come here because Hong Kong is famous as an innovation and design centre," said Mr Luk.

Roche Bobois is unique in offering a design "concept" which includes a whole package of home furnishing, from furniture to lighting and accessories.

Another European company to set up an office in Hong Kong is the UK-based Argos Retail Group, which opened a regional sourcing office recently. Argos sources a wide range of consumer products including electrical products, video, domestic appliances and furniture.

Director Stuart McIvor said that Hong Kong was chosen as the company's Asian sourcing base because of its "excellent infrastructure, legal system and wide supply base".