São Paulo – FR Hueb, a jewellery maker from Uberaba, in the interior of Minas Gerais, opened a shop in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, early this month. The company makes jewellery in gold, diamonds and Brazilian gems, and the unit in Dubai was opened at Al Bahar Souq, a shopping district close to Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. The official release of the shop took place last week.
In a short while, the company has already noticed that the decision was correct. “The collection pleases very much. We make feminine and delicate jewellery, which is rare in the region. Furthermore, we pay much attention to maintenance of relations with our clients,” says Thiago Abdala, the company brand director, who is running the business in Dubai.
The shop in Dubai is turned to end users and sells to women all over the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as well as to foreigners from other regions of the world. In our first three months in operation, we have sold to 16 countries,” celebrates Thiago, who is the son of the founder of FR Hueb and who is running the shop with his wife, Priscila Patto, creation director for the brand.
FR Hueb already exported to the Middle East when it decided to open the shop. The factory’s foreign sales began in 2000, to the United States. “But we noticed appreciation for our jewellery in the Middle East,” says the company’s founding partner, Rogério Abdala. Today, apart from the United States and the Middle East, the brand also exports to Russia and to countries in South America. But the main focus is the Arabs.
Priscila and Thiago moved to Dubai in early 2011. Even before opening the shop, they participated in fairs turned to end consumers in the Arab world, which continues to date. “In 2011, we had ten fairs. This year, we have scheduled 14,” explains Thiago. The fairs are in the Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and others. FR Hueb is a small company and the foreign market represents approximately 30% of production.
The family that founded the company is of Lebanese origin and is already at its fourth generation in Brazil. “We are back to the desert!”, jokes Thiago, regarding the brand’s presence in Dubai. The work in jewellery began with Thiago’s grandmother, Fadua Hueb. She sold jewels to a friend and even had a chain with six jewellery stores. FR Hueb was opened by Rogério in 1987. “I started working with my mother and the natural evolution was to go from retail to industry,” says Rogério.
The items are created by Rogério’s wife, creation director Cristina, and the design team. Among the brand’s attractive points are the high-end material used in production and article design. There are from gold rings in the shape of flowers, golden earrings with diamonds, triple rings (for three fingers) with hearts and diamonds, golden necklaces with items in the shape of birds, necklaces with topaz and white pearls, as well as diamonds.
Contact
FR Hueb
Site: www.frhueb.com.br
Telephone: (+55 34) 3326-9000
E-mail: joias@frhueb.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
