A Maltese family-owned furniture-making company has just opened a $1.5 million showroom in the high street area of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and plans to open more outlets in other parts of the North African country.

"We have only been trading for one week and the customer response is very encouraging, with orders coming in both from individuals and corporate clients", Brigitte Agius, Construct Furniture Ltd's spokesman, said.

This is the company's first retail outlet overseas.

Earlier last year, Construct Furniture held an intensive training programme in Malta for the company's Libyan staff to specialise in operational logistics, salesmanship and technical areas incorporating product design, furniture assembly and installation. The workforce in Libya is currently a mix of Libyan and Maltese nationals.

The showroom is situated in Feslum-Al Gmahereya Street, the fashionable side for commerce and shopping in Tripoli. The building is spread over three floors with 428 square metres on each ground.

A mass advertising campaign is currently underway on both television and the print media in Libya. A 24-page product guide was also produced displaying a vast range of modern and traditional kitchens, leather and fabric sofas, wall units and complements, together with main and spare bedrooms, office furniture, internal wooden doors combined with an exclusive selection of gifts and accessories.

The marketing campaign is being culturally designed to fit the customer demand in Libya, the company said.

Construct Furniture's success story started in 1986 with its founder, John Agius, making bathroom units from his own garage in Luqa, having learned carpentry from trade school. Orders for household loose furniture inspired him to move to one of the industrial huts, nearby, manufacturing kitchens. Today, the workforce is close to 90 employees.

The furniture showroom in Tripoli was opened by Foreign Minister Michael Frendo while on an official visit there.