The Sunday News
Shepias Dube
ONE of Bulawayo’s few remaining companies in the clothing industry, Femina Garments, will this month embark on an aggressive regional marketing strategy aimed at capturing markets in South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique among other countries, an official has said.
In an interview on Thursday the company’s marketing director, Ms Anne Bonnet, said growing the export base was the panacea to the liquidity challenges facing local industry.
“For this economy to stabilise we need to increase the inflow of foreign currency and this can be possible when local companies begin to export. As Femina Garments we are now ready to play our part in improving foreign currency inflows in the country,” she said.
Ms Bonnet said as part of the campaign for foreign markets she would be visiting a number of countries in the region where her company was dialoguing with prospective customers.
She said next month, she would attend the Source Africa international exhibition gala in Cape Town, South Africa, where she is expecting to forge deals with some companies from Africa’s economic power house.
Ms Bonnet said she would also attend international trade fairs in Zambia and Mozambique scheduled for July.
“I am excited about the level of interest the Zambians have shown in our products, especially the executive connection brand, and I am confident something positive will come from our northern neighbour,” she said.
Besides the executive corporation brand the clothing firm also has two other brands – the Boutique and the Old school brands.
The Boutique is for women’s fashion while the Old school brand specialises in traditional school wear.
Ms Bonnet said she would be visiting the Zambian marketing gala to cement relations with two chain stores which expressed interest their brands.
“Last year when I visited Zambia I held serious discussions with two chain stores based in Lusaka and this time we hope to finalise the deal,” she said.
She could not be drawn into revealing the names of the two clothing stores since this could jeopardise the deal.
Ms Bonnet said her company was also on the verge of clinching another lucrative deal with a chain store in Mozambique.
She said the company had managed to attract the attention of foreign companies because of the quality of its products.
“The exposure of the local clothing industry to foreign markets like China has taught us that the only way to survive is to improve the quality of our clothes. Thank God this has made us attractive to the international market,” said Ms Bonnet.
She said the company was working closely with ZimTrade, the trade promotion agency of Zimbabwe.
It plays a significant role in developing export markets and supporting those companies that are, or want to start, exporting through training and the provision of effective trade information.
She said Femina Garments would eventually increase its workforce from 150 once it has entrenched roots in the export markets.
“Of course one day we will think of increasing our workforce once the export market proves to be lucrative. At the moment we are concerned with securing the interests and needs of the workers we have.”
She said workers were the soul of any organisation and it was importance to keep them happy.
At its peak in the 1990s Femina employed more than 300 workers and provided a good market for local fabrics.
However, the paralysis of the textile industry in Zimbabwe has forced the company to rely on imports especially from Indonesia, China, Singapore and India.
Ms Bonnet said she was aware that the export market was not a bed of roses.
“Of course exporting products has its challenges and the biggest challenge we are likely to face is that the clothing sector in Zimbabwe has the highest wages in the region and this will make our prices less competitive as we try to cover operational costs,” she said.
She said this was why it was vital for the company to improve on quality.
The company has since introduced the reputable poly viscose fabric from India which has proved popular on the local market.
It is hoped that the fabric will be competitive on the export market.
Meanwhile, the company continues to fare well on the domestic market.
