São Paulo – The Egyptian manufacturer of razors and blades Lord International is seeking new clients in Brazil. With a focus on private-label clients, the company attended this week the Private Label fair, held this Monday (29) and Tuesday (30) at the Frei Caneca Convention Center in São Paulo. According to Lord’s deputy export manager, Yasser Hussein, Brazil is one of the company’s main markets and offers opportunities for growth in the long term.
Private label means that a company creates a brand and design for a product and commissions another company to manufacture this product. It’s a very common practice in the clothing and supermarket sectors.
In Brazil since 1990, Lord sells products under its own brand and under the brands of other companies, including Fiat Lux, Maxxi and Superbarba. “We know that Brazil is going through a crisis and we don’t expect growth this year. However, the medium and long term outlooks look good since the Brazilian market and economy are very strong”, said Hussein. He didn’t provide any exports data but said that in 2013 the company shipped 100 40-feet containers to Brazil and that the company’s operations in the country have only grown since then.
“We believe in Brazil’s potential because, despite the country being large and with a developed economy, there are still few brands in the sector here. There are two large and well-known brands, but a lot of room for other competitors that we can explore”, he said.
Germany, Mexico, Arab countries, Central Asia, Brazil, Japan and Europe are the main destinations for the 3.3 billion blades produced annually. Lord’s plant is located in Alexandria and from there both the customized products and those carrying the company’s own brand are exported to 95 clients in 75 countries.
“Private label is excellent business to companies, since it reduces costs. Besides, we adopt different strategies to avoid market competition regarding our own brands and clients’ brands”, said Hussein. In Brazil, he said, the main products sold by the company are twin-blade razors and blades. “We have a good market share with the blades since they can be replaced several times with the same razor. Ideal for a market with a low purchasing power such as Brazil”, said the executive.
The Private Label fair was attended by more than 20 private label manufacturers from Brazil, Italy, Holland and United Kingdom, plus Lord. Among the sectors being represented were foodstuffs, personal care and clothing, among others.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
