São Paulo – Women’s shoes manufacturing company Dumond, which belongs to the Paquetá group, based in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, is investing heavily in increasing its sales to the Arab countries. In May this year, the brand promoted a strong marketing action in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, including advertisements in local newspapers and magazines, promotional actions in shopping centres and a parade to mark the official launch of the brand in the emirate, where it already has three stores.
"It was an absolute success. We organised an event for 400 people and it was covered by more than 150 journalists. Dubai has everything to do with the essence of what is contemporary and modern, which in turn has everything to do with Dumond,” said the export manager of Dumond, João Marcos Gimenes.
“The trademark of Dumond is differentiated design, the combination of different colours and the Brazility that adds value to the products,” says Gimeses. According to him, the local market has a strong demand for shoes that match the profile of Dumond, sophisticated and fashionable. Proof of that is the fact that the brand already owns nine stores in the Arab countries, seven of which are located in the Middle East, in Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In North Africa, the brand owns two stores in Egypt. Besides, it is negotiating the opening of two new stores in Lebanon and Syria, which should take place in early 2010.
Presently, the Arab countries are the destination for 35% of the company’s exports and, according to Gimenes, the aim is to continue increasing that share.
The brand also owns stores in Colombia, the Philippines and Angola, and now plans to open new franchises in Canada and the United Kingdom. “The trend is for the share of franchises to grow over the next few years. We are negotiating with more than 10 countries,” he said.
Currently, the franchises account for 30% of exports by the brand, which ships 40% of its output abroad. The remaining 70% of foreign sales go to boutiques and multibrand stores.
Dumond has been on the market since 1992, and opened its first exclusive stores in early 2005. As for the domestic market, the stores are located in leading shopping centres and in Oscar Freire street, a prominent fashion retail hub in the city of São Paulo. Presently, the points of sale are divided among the south, southeast, midwest and northeast regions.
The group
Dumond is part of the Paquetá group, which is based in the city of Sapiranga. The company started operating in 1945 and became an important industrial group in the segment, with daily output of 75,000 pairs of shoes and industrial units in nine Brazilian states, as well as in Argentina.
Paquetá owns shoe brands Dumond, Capodarte and Ortopé. The company also manufactures global brands, such as Hugo Boss, and owns stores under brands Paquetá, Paquetá Esportes, Esposende and Gaston. It is also licensed to sell the Diadora brand, which it distributes in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The group also operates in other sectors, such as farms and tanneries.
Contact
Telephone: (+55 51) 3599-8850
Website: www.dumond.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
