São Paulo – Lebanese businessmen who operate in the Middle East have been to São Paulo seeking opportunities to establish franchises in fashion, furniture, cosmetics and foodstuffs. “We want to do business. We want products that look like Brazil,” said the general manager of Malia Furniture, Nabil Basma, who works in Dubai.
Basma, who was accompanied by Garine Kekejian, the marketing coordinator and import manager for Galerie Vanlian, based in Lebanon, and by Ali Bahsoun, the general manager for ABZ, a Saudi furniture and decoration company, have come to Brazil by invitation of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex) to take part in “Brazil Trade Middle East,” a business roundtable promoted by the organization in partnership with the Brazilian Council of Commercial Exporting and Importing Companies (CECIEx).
The businessmen were not familiar with the potential of Brazil and, according to Basma, when they arrived here they realized that there are several opportunities, not only in furniture, the industry in which they operate. In São Paulo they visited the D&D furniture and interior decoration shopping centre, and really enjoyed the high-end products. Presently, the Lebanese import from Europe and Asia.
According to them, in addition to the Apex roundtables, they would like greater support to get to know the opportunities that Brazil has to offer in franchises, and contacted the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce through the intermediation of its director Mustapha Abdouni.
According to the Arab Brazilian Chamber advisor, Rafael Abdulmassih, who talked the Lebanese, the organization is going to put the businessmen in touch with the Brazilian Franchise Association (ABF) and other associations, as well as Brazilian furniture, food and fashion manufacturers. According to Abdulmassih, the Lebanese want to take typical Brazilian products to the Middle East, ones that clearly differ from products made in the United States and China.
Contact
Malia Furniture
Email: maliadxb@diabehbehani.com
ABZ
Email: ali@abzbahsoun.com
Galerie Vanlian
Email: import@galerievanlian.com
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
