São Paulo – Couromoda 2012 will include Arab buyers. According to the organizers of the event, the figures have not yet been closed, but the fair to take place from January 16 to 19 should include 40 buyers from the region. Importers usually come from countries like Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
"The Arabs are a constant presence at the fair. From 2010 to 2011, there was 45% growth in the number of Arab buyers at the event,” explained Katherine Shibata, the Foreign Market manager at Couromoda. "The presence of Arabs is very great and represents the purchase of a great many pairs of shoes,” she said.
Katherine explains that business roundtables will not be promoted with the foreign buyers, but that the event offers support to the importers, identifying Brazilian companies with experience in export. She pointed out that the fair receives around 3,000 importers from abroad, from over 60 countries. "We know that the great differential of Couromoda is the foreign buyers,” she said.
According to the manager, the organizers of the event do not have figures regarding the business volume closed at the fair. "But we estimate that 25% of sector deals throughout the year started at Couromoda,” she states. Katherine also said that the number of foreign buyers is on the rise each year and that their qualification has been growing with each edition.
"We notice greater exports of higher value-added shoes. Buyers who did not see Brazil as exporters of these kinds of products are now coming and taking them to boutiques in Europe,” pointed out Katherine. According to her, despite the great competition with the Chinese, the Europeans have been paying greater attention to Brazilians shoes. "Europe is starting to notice that the continent is more similar to Brazil than to China. They are seeing that we are producers of fashion.” With regard to the Arabs, she points out their taste for winter collections. "They seek more closed shoes,” she pointed out.
*Translated by Mark Ament
