São Paulo – Gym equipment manufacturer Athletic, from Santa Catarina, wants to introduce their products to the Arab market. The company is negotiating with a distributor in Egypt and is prospecting clients in other four countries in Middle East and North Africa.
“We are seeking distributors in the Arab countries. We have already sent samples to Egypt and we are negotiating the price to close our first sale,” says Daniel Piazera, Export manager. He informs that, in August, he will travel to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan and Lebanon. “We will visit stores, gyms and distributors,” he says.
The businessman explains that, in order to make contact with potential clients in these countries, he was assisted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. “The Arab Chamber supported us by sending a list of importers,” he says. Piazera has also taken part in a meeting with Arab ambassadors in Santa Catarina, during the diplomats visit to the state promoted by the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil and the Arab Chamber.
In the businessman’s opinion, the company has good reasons to want to enter the Arab market. “The Brazilian companies are well regarded in the Middle East. We are also competitive and have good logistics, as we have a factory in China and, from there, we can ship to any place in the world,” he points out. In Brazil, Athletic’s factory is in the city of Manaus.
Currently, Athletic exports to over 20 countries and has its main importers in the Latin American nation, such as Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador. According to Piazera, 60% of the exports are treadmills and elliptic machines. Besides these pieces of equipment, the company also manufactures exercise bicycles, vibrating platforms and multi-gyms.
According to the manager, Arab countries have a higher demand of home equipment, but the company also wants to exploit the professional niche of those markets, such as gyms and hotels. Today, 12% of the company’s revenues come from exports. For this year, the goal is to reach the revenue of US$ 188.47 million (or R$ 420 million).
Headquartered in the city of Joinville, Athletic was founded in 1986 and employs 1,500 workers.
Contact
Athletic
Phone: (+5547) 3461-1050
Email: halan@athletic.com.br
Website: www.athletic.com.br (in Portuguese)
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
