Geovana Pagel*
São Paulo – Saudi Arabia is among the main importers of the female shoes made by Stiller Calçados. The company, established over 30 yeas ago in the city of Uberlândia, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, also exports to another three Arab nations: Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Of the Stiller monthly production of 30,000 pairs of shoes, around 30% go to the foreign market. The group also does business in Puerto Rico, the United States, Portugal, Venezuela, Suriname, Holland, Israel, Cuba and Turkey.
So as to expand sales abroad, the company invests in participation in large shoe sector fairs in Brazil, among them Francal and Couro Modas. These events, which generally take place at the beginning of the seasons, autumn/winter and spring/summer, are windows into the shoe industry. "Clients come from all around the world. In general, they see products and, if they like them, close deals," explained the company trade manager, Francisco Nivaldo Faria.
According to the executive, the demand by many of the foreign clients is the opposite from the Brazilian, following the local calendar. While the Brazilians consume the autumn/winter collection, Europe, for example, is entering high summer – in August and September.
Last year, explained Faria, business with foreign clients became a great strategy for expansion of the industry. However, with the growing devaluation of the dollar against the Brazilian real throughout 2005 there has been a reduction in exports, especially in the last four months of the year.
According to Faria, in case exchange rates stop being a problem, Stiller intends to prospect new markets in 2006, especially in Latin America. For this reason, the company has an agent in Rio Grande do Sul who takes samples to foreign fairs.
On the domestic market the main Stiller shoe consumers are the three states of the southern region – Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul -, plus São Paulo and Espírito Santo, in the southeast.
Investment in design
According to Faria, one of the great differentials of Stiller is the bold design of the shoes. According to him, the leather shoes produced by the company are designed according to foreign tendencies for each season. "The company professionals travel abroad every year, mainly to Italy, to observe new tendencies and design new models," he explained.
"Success depends on getting our models right," she explained. For this reason, the company develops varied designs, shapes and colours to please Japanese, American, Dutch and Cuban women, who are very demanding.
The shoe producer, which generates around 200 direct jobs, is installed in an area of 3,000 square metres located in the centre of Uberlândia. The production line puts out high-quality shoes, generally bought by the upper classes.
Contact
www.stiller.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
