São Paulo – Men’s shoes manufacturing company Sollu, headquartered in Franca, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, has just opened up a new export market: the Middle East. The first shipment, comprising 3,000 pairs, was sent 20 days ago to a client in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE. The second order, for 600 pairs, should be sent late this year to an importer in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia.
Sollu was established in 1988 and began exporting only five years ago, but already it has captive clients in Latin American and European countries. The company made contact with the Arabs via traders, trade shows, and research. “The Middle East has high purchasing power,” says Alexandre Salomão, the Export manager with Sollu. “The Arabs buy large volumes and help compensate sales during periods when the domestic market is weak,” he explains.
Sollu specializes in leather shoe manufacturing and produces 1,300 pairs per day. Out of those, 30% are exported. According to Salomão, the company’s target is to raise that rate to 40%, but that depends on increasing production. As for sales to the Arabs, which have just begun, they are expected to grow strongly. “It is feasible to sell 20,000 pairs a year to Saudi and another 20,000 to the Emirates,” says the executive.
Although the company has not attended trade shows in the Arab countries yet, Salomão claims that there is interest in doing so. It was in an event of the kind, Francal, in São Paulo, that Sollu closed the order with the Abu Dhabi client. Salomão hopes to close new orders with the Arabs during Couromoda 2012, another fair in São Paulo.
“Our client in Jeddah should be coming back to check out new trends and models,” he says. “The Arabs really enjoy the Brazilian product for its comfort and the quality of the leather,” he says. Sollu has 180 employees and its main foreign markets include Venezuela and Bolivia.
Contact
Sollu
Tel: +55 16 2103-0100
E-mail: export@sollu.com.br
Site: www.sollu.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
