São Paulo – Lineapelle, a fair in the leather and shoe sector that took place in Italy this month, resulted in business in the Arab countries for Brazilian companies. Importers from Egypt and Tunisia, countries in North Africa, visited the stand of Brazil at the fair and made trade and business contacts with exhibitor companies. The participation was organized by the Brazilian Association of Shoe and Leather Components Industries (Assintecal), with the support of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), and had two companies in Brazil, Recouro, a factory of reconstructed leather that is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro and Metalúrgica Reuter, from Rio Grande do Sul.
This information was disclosed by the Assintecal. According to the Foreign Relations manager at the organisation, Diogo Serafim, most of the visitors at Lineapelle are from Europe, but the fair also attracts visitors from other regions of the world. The Arab countries of North Africa, like Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, are among them, due to the proximity with the Italian territory. Figures presented by the Assintecal show that both Brazilian companies sold US$ 30,000 at the fair, as well as having discussed another US$ 1.2 million in business for the coming 12 months. In total, they made 90 contacts at Lineapelle.
Apart from the Arabs, the Brazilian companies also met importers from Italy, Russia, Spain, Portugal, England, France, South Africa, Korea, Malaysia, Turkey, the Mauritius, Poland, Singapore, Slovenia and the United States. Lineapelle took place in the Italian city of Bologna between April 15th and 17th. According to information disclosed by Assintecal, the results of the event were better than in the previous edition. The sector of components for shoes covers from producers of leather to those of chemicals for shoes and artefacts, soles, buckles and inner soles.
Companies in the sector supply the domestic market and also export. Last year, Assintecal received an award from the Apex for its internationalisation in the sector. The organisation received the award due to actions developed aimed at the Indian market. India is the second main producer of shoes in the world. Due to the initiatives of the Assintecal, a total of 25 Brazilian companies managed to enter the market and sector sales to the country grew 43%. The sector also exports to the Arab market and companies usually participate in fairs and trade missions in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
*Translated by Mark Ament
