AKTRIN Leads Portuguese Trade Mission to Canada

Furniture World Magazine

The AKTRIN Furniture Information Center in collaboration with the Portuguese Furniture Manufacturing Association (APIMA) is organizing a trade mission of Portuguese Furniture manufacturers to Canada. This follows on the heals of a similar program organized last year, when AKTRIN took several American furniture retailers on a fact finding tour to Portugal. The Canadian study tour will take place in mid-May 2000. A group of ten furniture executives will visit furniture stores in Montreal and Toronto. This includes Canadian stores as well as several stores operated by members of the Portuguese community in Canada. In addition to the store visits the delegates will attend seminars organized by AKTRIN as well as one-to-one meetings between Canadian furniture experts and the Portuguese guests. Following Portugal's entry into the European Union in the mid-1980s, the country has seen rapid industrial development, according to David Woodburn, vice president of AKTRIN. The result, he said, is a "very modern furniture industry made up of mostly new buildings equipped with state-of-the-art machinery". With labor costs still below the European average, Portugal has a price advantage over many of its EU partners In addition, Portuguese furniture manufacturers have a "flair for good design, producing furniture that would be very well received in Canada", Woodburn said. He also identified contract furniture as an excellent opportunity, especially for hotels. Portuguese producers' global marketing efforts have been lacking, rarely reaching North America. Less than 1% of Canadian furniture imports come from Portugal, said Stefan Wille, AKTRIN's president, but the potential is quite large as Canada is receptive to modern European designs, above all the province of Quebec. For further information contact: AKTRIN Furniture Information Centre, Attn.: Stefan Wille, 151 Randall Street, Oakville, ON L6J 1P5 Canada, Tel.: (905) 845 3474, E-mail: aktrin@aktrin.com