São Paulo – Representatives of Egyptian company Farah Trade, am importer and distributor of children’s shoes, which is participating in the Couromoda, an international fair in the shoe and accessory sector, closed deals with two Brazilian companies on the first day of the event, yesterday (12), in São Paulo. "Up to the end of the fair we want to close deals with other companies," stated the director of the trading company, Yasse Bakhaty.
This is the first time that Bakhaty and the commercial manager at Farah Trade, Sherif Adel, come to Brazil, but the company already imported children’s shoes by Brazilian brand Pimpolho, from Vila Velha, in the state of Espírito Santo. According to the director, the first contact was made at shoe fair GDS, in Germany, and since 2006, Pimpolho has been exporting to Egypt. It was with the company from Espírito Santo that the Egyptian company closed an order. "The idea is to import around 15,000 pairs of closed sandals and shoes made by Pimpolho this year," said Bakhaty.
According to him, the volume imported should be lower than in the previous years, as with the global crisis the company does not want to dare. "We are going to buy less, but we want to diversify Brazilian brands," added Bakhaty, who usually imports shoes from Malaysia and Singapore.
During visits to stands at Couromoda, the Egyptians sought shoes with different design, price and quality. "The price is very important for the country, as the Chinese competition is very strong," said Bakhaty. According to him, the shops that sold shoes imported by the Egyptian company are sold to middle-market and upmarket customers.
It was eyeing the design and details of the Brazilian children’s shoes that the Egyptian distributor closed orders with Bical, from Birigui, in the interior of São Paulo. "We placed a small order to see how the product would be accepted in the market and, apart from that, are going step by step," said the director.
According to the trade representative of Bical for Africa and the Middle East, Hudson Rigolin Jr., the company already exports to almost all the Arab market, including Egypt. "The Arab market is very important for Bical," said the representative, who usually visits Arab clients once a year. The colourful and moralized sandals, silver and gilded, and shoes with stones and gloss are the most sold to the Arabs.
In the Arab countries, the main market is Dubai, which, according to Rigolin, is among the four main destinations for Bical shoes, together with Mexico, the United States and Venezuela. "We are awaiting a buyer from Dubai, and he has already scheduled his meeting, but other Arabs should also turn up," said the representative.
Bical, which exports from 20% to 25% of production to 80 companies, believes that Couromoda is a fundamental starting point to increase sales on the foreign market. "Despite the crisis, the dollar exchange rate is favourable. I believe that we may maintain exports or even improve," said Rigolin.
Buyer projects
The Egyptian company is in Brazil at the invitation of the Brazilian Association of Shoe Manufacturers (Abicalçados) and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), which also invited companies from Switzerland, England, the United States, Peru, Ecuador, Mongolia, Japan, Italy, Paraguay and Canada to participate in the Brazilian Footwear Buyer Project, whose objective is increasing Brazilian sector exports.
Couromoda, which ends on Thursday (15), at Anhembi Exhibition Park, was opened by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by the governor of the state of São Paulo, José Serra, and by the governor of Rio Grande do Sul state, Yeda Crusius, the Presidential Chief of Staff, Dilma Rousseff, the Foreign Trade secretary at the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Welber Barral, the mayor of São Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, and several other authorities.
The fair presents fashion collections by 1,200 companies, in a space of 80,000 square metres. A total of 77,000 visitors are expected.
*Translated by Mark Ament
