China's tile market will be more competitive as a new French stone tiles elbows its way into the industry. At today's build Export, French Art Code, a deluxe tile brand, made a debut, showing its firm confidence to compete with its competitors on the Chinese market. "China has formed a high-end tile market as people's living standard improves, which calls for deluxe tiles for decoration," said Chen Zhengsheng, marketing general manager of the Xinyi Ceramics (China) Co.
 
Xinyi will open the first Art Code flagship store in Kunshan, Jiangsu province on March 31 with an investment of one million yuan, Chen said.
 
Local building insiders said China is a huge market which consumes tiles valued at more than 15 billion yuan annually. "No doubt, it will provide a market space for Art Code," Chen said. Xinyi has joined hands with 25 sales agencies to promote the sale of French tiles. "We try to set up a national sales network with the aim to have 55 agencies," he said.
 
He said sales of Art Code French stone tiles are expected to reach 180 million yuan this year, accounting for 10 percent of the Champion Building Material Group.
 
The group set up Xinyi company in Kunshan in 1997 with an investment of $30 million to produce champion tiles. The sales will be reached to 360 million yuan next year and 500 million yuan in 2012, Chen said.