São Paulo – There is no more space for exhibitors at the 35th edition of Vitória Stone Fair, a marble and granite fair to take place in Vitória, Espírito Santo, from February 26th to March 1st. The 420 stands are reserved for Brazilian, Argentine, Canadian, Chinese, South Korean, Spanish, American, French, Greek, Dutch, Indian, Lebanese, Mexican, Pakistani, Palestinian, Portuguese and Turkish companies. Over the four days of the event, visitors from 78 countries are expected.
Fair director Cecília Milanez forecasts great sales movement this year as the sector is heated and as the Brazilian companies are investing in production of stone, equipment and in greater technology. She said that the foreign clients, among them Arabs, are interested in Brazilian ornamental stone and their colours.
“The beauty of Brazilian stones is, undoubtedly, what attracts most buyers worldwide. They are polished granite and marble stones, much used for construction of great industrial and commercial complexes, corporate works, shopping centres, airports, hotels, palaces, casinos or even as decoration,” said Milanez. In last year’s edition of the event alone, 1,200 different kinds of Brazilian stones were exhibited.
On the other hand, Brazilians have special interest in stones cut in the Arab countries. According to the organizers of the fair, clients here are impressed with the products brought from Egypt and Palestine, for example. The Palestinian Verona Marble participated in last year’s edition of the fair. For this year, the company has reserved an even larger space.
Exports up
According to Milanez, Brazilian exports rose 6.08% in 2012 as against 2011 and is returning to the level recorded in 2007, prior to the economic crisis, in terms of exports to the United States, Brazil’s main client, and Europe. In total, Brazil exported US$ 1.06 billion in stones in 2012, of which US$ 797 million were shipped from Espírito Santo. Sales by producers in the state grew 12.6%, according to figures disclosed by organizers of the event.
Clients in the Middle East also bought more last year. According to Milanez, Saudi Arabia imported US$ 1.54 million in polished slabs, 12% more than in 2011. Sales to the United Arab Emirates grew 75% to US$ 3.45 million.
According to figures disclosed by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, to have a stand at the fair, the United Arab Emirates are the main importers of stone from Brazil. They buy 38.25% of the total, followed by Saudi Arabia (18.17%), Libya (18.13%), Jordan (7.73%) and Syria (3.96%).
According to Milanez, Brazil’s main competitors in the granite sector are India and China. In the marble sector, in turn, the main competition comes from Turkey, Egypt, Spain, Portugal and Greece. She said, however, that Brazil may still grow and stand out in the sector. “With innovation and modern extraction techniques, it is possible to discover new material in the Brazilian soil, which is very rich,” she said.
Service
35th Vitória Stone Fair
From February 26th to March 1st, in Vitória, Espírito Santo
Information on site http://www.vitoriastonefair.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
