Kingston, Jamaica – In keeping with its mandate to find new routes to market for Jamaican exporters, JAMPRO is leading a groundbreaking mission of 3 local companies- Wisynco, Seprod and Jamaican Teas to target business with global retail giant Wal-Mart at Expo Wal-Mart in Guatemala City between February 25 and 27.
The annual Expo Wal-Mart is highly regarded as the largest retail and trade show for shelf-ready products and services, and JAMPRO is focused on generating business in the Wal-Mart International segment that operates in 26 countries with specific emphasis on Mexico and Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
“This initiative fits in with JAMPRO’s new thrust to target key buyers directly and build long term buyer relationships”, says Diane Edwards, President of the Trade and Investment Agency. “Sustainability is important for us. We are focusing on expanding our market share in key outlets, going deeper rather than wider in market penetration”, she added.
The export trade mission to Guatemala will be led by JAMPRO’s Vice President of Export and Market Development Robert Scott, who has described the mission as an important first for the local export community. “Expo Wal-Mart represents a new target for us, and we think our three export clients- Seprod, Jamaican Teas and Wisynco- are ready for this big opportunity. We are arranging meetings with primarily store buyers at this show, which also incorporates seminars to prepare suppliers to navigate the Wal-Mart buying process”, she added.
In addition to generating leads and contracts, JAMPRO’s Market Development Manager, Berletta Henlon Forrester is also seeking to target buyers at Expo Wal-Mart to attend the upcoming Expo Jamaica trade show between April 3-6 in Kingston.
“We recognize that Wal-Mart has very exacting standards, so companies have to be prepared to make the required commitment. There is a significant range of Jamaican products on Wal-Mart shelves in the USA, so we know it can be done. Expo Wal-Mart can be the first step towards accessing the largely unexplored Central American markets and achieving market diversification for Jamaican products” added Ms. Henlon Forrester.
Wal-Mart’s reach extends to every continent appealing to a wide customer base through their supermarkets, neighbourhood markets, warehouse clubs and retail websites. The conglomerate’s main product categories include: Grocery and Consumables, Home and Apparel, Health and Wellness, Office & Entertainment, and Technology.
With fiscal year 2013 sales of approximately $466 billion, Wal-Mart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide.
In preparation for the mission, JAMPRO conducted a seminar with the participating companies, and provided them with a package of information and guidelines for the Expo Wal-Mart event.
