São Paulo – Footwear company Suzana Santos exports its women’s shoes to Kuwait and is in talks with potential importers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman. “My product has a lot to do with those countries. I believe [the market] shows great promise,” says export manager Suzana dos Santos.
The company sold to Kuwait approximately four years ago and then sales stopped for a few years. They resumed recently, and now Suzana Santos sells to three Kuwaiti distributors. This year, the company got in touch with people from other Arab countries at two industry shows in Europe.
The export manager claims Middle Eastern buyers like synthetic shoes, and the style and price point they seek also match those offered by Suzana Santos. The company makes all sorts of synthetic shoes for women, from low- to high-heel, ballet shoes, midsoles, platforms, boots etc.
Suzana Santos has been on the market for 20 years. Although it has always been an exporting company, two years ago, the company decided to step up its international game. As part of that strategy, it increased production volume, hired more staff for its export department and scheduled stints at European expos. At this time, its biggest foreign buyers are in South and Central America.
In February of this year, the company attended two footwear industry shows: Micam, in Italy, and GDS, in Germany. By going to those events, Suzana Santos hopes to reach two markets it believes could leverage its expansion overseas: Europe and the Middle East. The company also plans on going to another exhibition this year, this one in Italy, and is awaiting confirmation that the space is available. Arab buyers usually attend these European expos looking for products. “There are lots of Arabs,” the executive says.
The company intends to increase its exports to at least 20% of total output, according to the manager. Currently, it makes some 20,000 shoe pairs per day, 10% to 15% of which are shipped abroad. Production varies depending on market conditions and the season of the year.
The company was established by Almir dos Santos, who was a partner in another business before that. When the partnership dissolved, he founded Suzana Santos and named it after his daughter. The company also owns another brand, Renata Mello. Suzana Santos made leather items early on, but switched to synthetic approximately eight years ago because there was a better market for products of the latter type. Manufacturing operations are based in São João Batista, Santa Catarina, a women’s shoes industry hub.
Contact
Suzana Santos
Phone: +55 (48) 3265-6800
Website: www.suzanasantos.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
