São Paulo – Furniture manufacturing company Colibri, headquartered in the city of Arapongas, in the state of Paraná, already exports to Algeria and the United Arab Emirates, and is now negotiating with importers from Qatar and Sudan. The contacts were made last Monday (17th), the first day of the International Furniture Sales and Exports Salon (Salão Abimóvel), in the city of São Paulo.
“We participated in business roundtables with the Arab importers, who also visited our stand to get to know our products. Now, after they return home, we will proceed with the negotiations,” says Melissa Fukushima, export assistant with Colibri. The Abimóvel will continue until today (21st), at the Anhembi Exhibition Centre.
Trade fair Salão Abimóvel (formerly known as Fenavem) is a large showcase for furniture, promoted in the country’s leading market in terms of consumer potential, and is also an important sales and export platform in Brazil as a whole.
Colibri is part of the furniture manufacturing hub of Arapongas, the second largest in Brazil, and also participates in export consortium Furniture Brazil. Comprising 19 of the region’s 150 companies, which account for a share of 8.7% of the sector’s GDP in Brazil, the consortium entails investment of 3 million reals (US$ 1.6 million) and aims to increase the share of exports in those companies’ sales up to 25% within three years.
Participation in international fairs is one of our strategies for prospecting new clients. “We have already attended the Index, in Dubai, in 2005 and we are going to return for the 2009 edition,” explains Melissa.
According to her, Colibri’s first export deal took place four years ago. “Our client in Algeria owns a large store chain, and placed the first deals in 2005. We used to have another African client who established an office in Dubai and began supplying our products to the market starting in 2006,” she says.
On the market for 18 years, Colibri was founded on January 9th, 1991, and started out making tables and chairs using cherry tree wood. In 1995, the line gave way to racks and shelves manufacturing. In that same year, the company moved to larger headquarters. In 2003, it relocated to the new factory unit, with 42,000 square metres, and started making bedroom furniture as well.
Exports began approximately eight years ago, and presently account for 5% of company revenues. Colibri exports to 23 different countries, makes 30,000 items per month and has 238 direct employees.
Contact
Website: www.colibrimoveis.com.br
Telephone: (+55 43) 3275-8600
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
