São Paulo – By the end of the month, shoe shops in Libya should start selling Brazilian sandals made by Grendene. The first container of female, male and kid’s shoes should arrive at the end of this month and, to promote the brand in the country, the company’s local representative, Mohamed Salah, is participating in Tripoli International Fair, which includes an Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce stand.
Salah has 17 shoe shops in Libya and has been in negotiation with the Brazilain company since last year. At the Arab Brazilian Chamber the products exhibited include male sandals in the Rider line as well as sandals in the Grendha and Ipanema lines, for women. According to him, the idea is to expand the Brazilian brand, which is still little known in North Africa, in the Libyan market. Up to now, in the region, the Brazilian brand has representatives in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
Grendene, headquartered in Rio Grande do Sul, produces 500,000 pairs a day and already exports to nine Arab countries. In total, the company exports to 90 countries. The main destination markets are the United States, Canada, countries in Latin America and Europe. According to the marketing assistant at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Filipe Gouveia Ferraz, on Friday, the first day in which the fair was opened to the public, many people visited the stand to learn about the Brazilian sandals.
Apart from the shoes, the Brazilian stand is also showing canned food and vacuum packed foods, like meats and vegetables. The products, which are made by brands Oderich and Vapza, are being represented by trading company Latinex. According to trader Eduardo Moraes, the company is betting on the sale of ready food for hotels, restaurants and catering businesses.
Currently, on the Arab market, Latinex exports to Libya and Syria and is negotiating with Algeria. "We are investing heavily to expand business with the Arabs," said Moraes, who should have meetings with food companies in Libya this week.
The fair, which began on Thursday (2nd) and ends on the 12th, is multisectorial. In its last edition, the event counted on over 1,500 companies from 37 countries. According to Ferraz, the Arab Brazilian Chamber stand has been receiving many visitors from Libya itself and from other countires in North Africa, mostly seeking food, like meats, coffee, sugar and rice as well as heavy machinery. "Brazil is attracting much visitor attention not only due to the products exhibited but also due to being a stand from Brazil," he said.
*Translated by Mark Ament
