São Paulo – The Priority group, a holding company that owns shoe brands West Coast and Cravo & Canela (Portuguese for Clove & Cinnamon), wants to increase its exports to the Arab countries by the end of the year. The company exported nearly half a million pairs last year, and the Arabs account for almost 17% of that total. "The goal is to increase the Arab market’s share in our sales," says the company’s export manager, John Schmidt, adding that the strategy to that end will be to provide better products and prices to the region.
In the Arab world, the Priority group currently exports to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, the Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman and Syria. The company started selling by means of contacts made in fairs in Brazil and the first shipments went to Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, in 2003. The company’s top-selling brand in the region is West Coast. "There is a demand for open shoes and more commercial colours such as black, brown and off-white," says Schmidt. The bulk of sales to the Arab world – 60% – are made to one single retail chain, which is present in the 11 countries to which Priority exports.
Although it intends to increase its sales to Arab nations, the group believes that overall, its foreign sales levels will be maintained. "Despite the current foreign market problems and the exchange rate scenario, our goal is to at least repeat our performance," says Schmidt, regarding the 500,000 pairs of shoes exported in 2010. "The main strategy for maintaining sales in the foreign market is to solidify our work with our current partners and grow in our current markets."
The Priority group produces roughly 3 million pairs of shoes per year. The company has four factories. Two of them, located in the South of the country, manufacture the Cravo & Canela brand. Another unit in the South and one in the Northeast produce the West Coast brand. The group is based in the city of Ivoti. Its shoes are sold at multi-brand stores in Brazil and overseas. The Cravo & Canela brand was purchased in 2005 targeting the women’s market, whereas West Coast is geared towards men.
Contact:
Priority Group
Telephone: (+55 51) 21 010700
Site: www.cravocanela.com.br and www.westcoast.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
