North American company MDC is going to open up to July this year a shop in the United Arab Emirates and will show upholstered furniture and other products made by companies Mannes, from the state of Santa Catarina, and Artesian, from Paraná, both states in southern Brazil. Representatives of both companies are participating in the Abimad 2007 fair, which also includes a stand by the Arab Brazilian Chamber.

Up to June this year the upholstery and furniture made by two Brazilian companies is going to be sold at a showroom in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The company responsible for the opening of the shop is the North American MDC, based in New York, which established a partnership with Mannes Estofados, from Santa Catarina, and Artesian, from Paraná, both states in southern Brazil. The two Brazilian makers are going to supply sector products to Arab clients.

The companies exported furniture to the client in the United States, which has three shops in New York, one in Las Vegas and commercial offices in Canada. “Mannes made sporadic sales to the Arab market. Now, the upholsteries made by the company may be bought at the shop in Dubai,” stated the sales and marketing vice president at MDC, Ricardo Duca Martins, who is participating in the Brazilian Contemporary Furniture & Home Décor Exhibition (Abimad 2007), in São Paulo.

According to him, 70% of the products to be sold at the MDC showroom in Dubai will be Brazilian. “Mannes is going to start producing exclusive models for the Arab market, as the company already does to the United States,” stated Martins. Last year, he even participated in the Index furniture fair, in Dubai, and saw that the line of upholstered products made by Mannes has good acceptance on the Arab market.

Apart from upholstered furniture, Mannes also makes mattresses, foam and pillows. The company from Santa Catarina exports around 20% of its production to Europe, the United States, all the countries in South America, Africa and Lebanon.

Artesian, a maker of chairs, stools, armchairs, tables and accessories, exports to over ten countries, among them the United States, Germany, Portugal and Spain.

Visitors

The Abimad 2007 fair, which ends today (12), is also an opportunity for other furniture companies to reach a share of the Arab market. The Brazilian High-End Furniture Manufacturers Association (Abimad), which organizes the fair in partnership with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), invited Arab importers from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to participate in the event.

“The Arabs are after typically Brazilian furniture, with different design and wood,” stated Rafael Molon, of the foreign relations department at Abimad.

The stands of companies Essenza Design and Sarquis Sâmara are optimistic with the participation of Arab buyers in the fair. Both companies believe that they will close deals up to the end of the fair. “The decoration objects made by Sarquis are well matched to the taste of the Arabs. We have already met five Arab importers at the stand and some said that they will return to place orders,” stated the person responsible for the export department at Sarquis Sâmara, Hauro Okamoto.

At Index last year, the decorations made by Brazilian designer Sarquis Sâmara were so successful that an importer from Saudi Arabia purchased all the samples on the first day of the fair. “The Arab sympathy for the brand begins with the name,” stated Okamoto, who referred to the Lebanese descent of the designer.

Arab Brazilian Chamber

To help the Arab importers at the fair and provide further information about how to export to the market, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce has a stand at the event. “We intend to provide incentives for the fair visitors to learn more about the Arab market and to provide support to the buyers who are present at the fair,” stated Arab Brazilian Chamber employee Rafael Abdulmassih, who is at the stand.

The organization’s space at the fair received many businessmen interested in participating in the Index this year. The Arab Brazilian Chamber participates in the fair every year and organizes a Brazilian stand. According to Abdulmassih, producers of furniture and decorations who are interested in learning about the services offered by the organization visited the stand. “We are a point of reference at the fair to bring Arab and Brazilian businessmen closer together,” he said.

On Friday morning (09), a group of five Arab businessmen visited the Arab Brazilian Chamber offices and met with the organisation’s secretary general, Michel Alaby. “We discussed the economic potential of São Paulo, which is the largest producer of sugar and orange juice in the country, and I also mentioned some regions that sell furniture in the city,” he said. “They were very interested in various products like guaraná, pinewood and eucalyptus, and ethanol,” he added.

Service

Brazilian Contemporary Furniture & Home Décor Exhibition
Date: 9th to 12th of February
Site: Imigrantes Exhibition Centre
Address: Rodovia dos Imigrantes, km 1.5

source : www.anba.com.br