São Paulo – Fifty years have passed since Tramontina’s first export to Arab countries in 1973. Today, one of the most traditional Brazilian companies exports to over 120 countries on five continents and has offices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and a distribution center in the Gulf region. Sales to the Arab bloc more than quadrupled in the past twenty years. In 2002, the Arabs represented around USD 3.8 million in revenue. In 2022, revenue from this group of countries was USD 16.5 million.
Tramontina was founded in 1911 in the Southern region of Brazil and manufactures over 22,000 products, including housewares, furniture, tools, and porcelain. In an interview with ANBA, Tramontina’s general manager for the UAE, Eduardo Cansan, spoke on the brand’s relationship with the Arab countries over the years, the current situation, and plans for the future.
“In Arab countries, we have our own distribution structure in the UAE and a marketing office in Saudi Arabia, which opened in 2022. […] We have a store in Dubai’s Deira region [old Dubai] to serve sellers in the region, as well as Africa and Central Asia,” said Cansan.
The manager informed the distribution center in the UAE serves all Arab countries, as well as other nations in the region, with the household appliances segment. “In terms of tools, we still have many partners who import directly from Brazil,” he said.
In addition to kitchen accessories and sinks, which are the best-selling products in the Arab market, Tramontina is expanding sales to the region with its lines of furniture, plastic and wooden, and non-stick and stainless steel pans. “Previously, our service was aimed at other markets [in that region]. Now, we are focused on the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait] countries,” said Cansan.
According to the executive, the Middle East represents 5% of Tramontina’s exports, and the main markets are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Cansan said the company wants to further expand its business in the Middle East. “Currently, the region is crucial for the brand, with prospects of a promising future. It is a competitive market but with a lot of consumer strength. […] We intend to bring other product segments from our portfolio, such as furniture and cookware. Furthermore, we are assessing entering new Arab markets,” he said.
According to the manager, Tramontina’s best-selling products in Brazil are still cookware and cutlery, as well as in the international market, in addition to the barbecue line.
“When we arrived at the Arab markets, Tramontina exported [only] knives. Today, we already have a broad line including [domestic] utilities, tools and furniture. Soon, we will bring the new porcelain line, launched last year,” informed Cansan.
Read also:
- 2003: After 30 years business with the Middle East and North Africa, Tramontina decides to double export
- 2013: Tramontina discusses sales to large Arab projects
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
