Brazilian granite company Mibasa located in the city of Serra, in the state of Espírito Santo, in southeast Brazil, exports granite sheets mainly to the United States and Canada. In order to escape the crisis that hit those two markets, however, they started selling to Egypt, Morocco, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.
“When the crisis started in the American market, granite companies began seeking other options, among them Latin America and the Arab market,” explains Elcione Araújo Júnior, who is in charge of exports at Mibasa.
He explains that the granite sheets can be used in building façades, workbenches, floors, sinks, among other applications.
According to him, contact with the Arabs was established at trade fairs in the cities of Cachoeiro do Itapemirim and Vitória, as well as referrals from other clients.
Presently, the Arab countries account for less than 5% of the company’s foreign sales, and Egypt is the leading Arab buyer.
According to Araújo, the main advantage of selling to the Arabs is the market’s liquidity. “The Arabs are excellent negotiators, perhaps the best. They are usually very price-sensitive, but they pay on the spot. They have got money, they will not skip out on you. And if you have items in stock that are gathering dust, they will buy them if you set a reasonable price.”
Arab Fairs
A Brazilian company that represents international trade fairs in Brazil, Conceito Brazil, announced that the agreement it has with the IFP group, which promotes business events in the Middle East, has been expanded.
The Brazilian company already represented Riyadh Exhibitions, a subsidiary of the group that organizes trade shows in Saudi Arabia.
Now that the partnership has been expanded, Conceito will start promoting, among Brazilian companies, trade fairs held in Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, according to information supplied by the company’s press office.
The events that Conceito intends to work on this year include the Beirut Jewelry Week, due July 20th to 23rd, in Lebanon; and Diyafa 2010, a hotel industry fair due November 5th to 11th in Doha, Qatar.
Last year, Conceito participated in two fairs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Build, for the construction industry, and Saudi Agro-Food, for agriculture and the food industry.
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