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A Brazilian kitchen showroom will be inaugurated next month in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Dell Anno, Telasul and SCA, from Rio Grande do Sul, and Kit's Paraná, from the state of Paraná, will have their furniture exhibited at the place.
MagicBrazil, a consortium of seven marble and granite companies from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is going to supply the counters for part of the kitchens to be exhibited.
The showroom was set up by Arab businessman Abdul Lakis, who is the owner of import company Brazil Furniture, and is already working on distribution of Brazilian furniture to over 40 countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Up to now, however, Brazil Furniture has only traded other kinds of domestic products, like racks and shelves. Trading company Werner International, responsible for Furniture purchases in Brazil, is also going to ship the kitchens.
Werner already ships around US$ 5 million in products to the region every year, according to company director Glênio Werner.
The kitchens in the Dubai showroom will be traded on the wholesale and retail markets. Businessmen connected to the enterprise prefer not to make sales volume forecasts, but they are optimistic.
MagicBrazil, for example, executed its first sale to the region with the shipping of six kitchen counters for exhibition.
"There are good perspectives as it is a large market," stated Joaquim Carvalho Faria, president of the Rio Grande do Sul state Union of Marble and Granite Industries (Simag), the organization that established MagicBrazil together with the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex).
MagicBrazil was established around three years ago with the objective of exploring the foreign market.
The companies that make up the consortium are Alexandre Verza, Basalto São Roque, Orlando Bussoloto, Iguaçu, Marmogram, Riegel and Santa Clara.
Since the consortium started operating, revenues have already totalled US$ 500,000 with international sales. This total represents between 10% and 15% of company revenues.
According to Faria, however, the intention is for consortium sales to range from US$ 1 million to US$ 1.5 million in products on the foreign market next year alone.
The companies trade from kitchen counters to bathroom counters, floors, facades, balconies, skirting boards, windowsills, and other kinds of marble and granite facing for civil construction.
The company's main export destination is the United States.
MagicBrazil has already participated in seven international fairs in the United States, England, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Norway.
This year, the consortium will be going to the Big Five construction fair, to take place in Dubai between November 20 and 24, for the second time.
It was at Big Five that the first contact between MagicBrazil and Brazil Furniture took place. The consortium representatives are also negotiating sales to another businessman in the Emirates. In this case, however, the products will be supplied daily to projects in the construction area.
According to Faria, sales of Brazilian products have good chances of growth on the foreign market, as, apart from qualified labour, the country also has available raw material and adequate costs.
Rocks from Brazil
Brazilian export of ornamental rocks, which involve products made out of marble and granite, ended last year with one of its best performances. Foreign trade revenues totalled US$ 429.3 million, a 26.7% growth over the previous year.
Processed stone sales rose 34.6% and totalled US$ 301 million. This kind of product participated with 70% of total sector export.
ANBA - Brazil-Arab News Agency
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