[South Africa] Fred Footwear trains eyes on Mozambique

An Eastern Cape company is on a mission to search for an export market for its footwear products in Mozambique. 

Fred Footwear, which is based in Port Elizabeth, is one of the 20 businesses set to showcase their products and services at a Maputo international trade exhibition commonly known as FACIM. The week-long exhibition runs from 27 August-3 September 2017.

The companies have received financial assistance from the Department of Trade and Industry to participate in the popular fair with the aim of helping them find an export market in Mozambique and neighbouring countries.

The Managing Executive of Fred Footwear, Mr Ronald Eboru, says his company is on a mission to explore opportunities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) with the aim of exporting their products to several countries in the region.

“Our mission for going to Mozambique is two-fold.  We want to gain knowledge and insight into the market in the country, and thereafter sit down and develop a strategy for converting the market knowledge into business,” says Eboru.

Fred Footwear is already exporting school shoes, formal shoes, leather sandals and safety shoes to Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe. the dti funded the company’s participation in trade exhibitions in Zimbabwe and Zambia where the export opportunities were first identified before the deals were clinched.

“We have learnt that FACIM is one of the biggest trade exhibitions in Southern Africa. We are optimistic that our participation will provide us with an opportunity to introduce our products to a number of wholesalers and large schools from Mozambique and other countries as it is an international fair,” says Eboru.

According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, FACIM will expose South African companies to trade and investment opportunities available in Mozambique and other countries participating in the exhibition.

The popularity and reputation of the trade fair have grown significantly over the past years. The number of foreign companies that participated in the fair increased from 470 in 2011 to 700 in 2016.

33 countries participated in the trade fair last year as compared to 17 countries in 2011.   More than 90 000 visitors passed through the fair’s turnstiles last year compared to 60 000 in 2011.

www.fredfootwear.co.za