Boss Furniture doubles Caribbean exports
(Jamaica Observer) The smile on Omar Azan’s face is broader these days. That’s because his Boss Furniture Company Ltd this month doubled exports to the Caribbean.
“This month alone we had 21 containers,” Azan told the Jamaica Observer, adding that before, the largest number of containers the company exported was nine.
“It took time and patience to build these relationships (in other islands); months, and in some cases, years of reaching out to these new markets, without any return, until finally now we are reaping the benefits,” he said.
Azan credited the company’s success to a strategy of thinking bigger and focusing on exports in the region, even as Boss continued to service the local market.
October has actually turned out to be a good month for the furniture company located on Church Street in downtown Kingston. Just a few weeks ago, Boss walked away with two titles at the annual Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA) Awards — Product Group Award for Furniture, Bedding & Wooden Products; and the Champion Exporter Award sponsored by JAMPRO for small exporters.
“We were exporting to only one Caribbean island in 1997, but now we are exporting to 14 different countries in the region — Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, the US Virgin Islands, to name a few. We are looking to grow the export market,” Azan said.
He gave a lot of credit to JAMPRO — the State agency that promotes business opportunities in export and investment to the local and overseas private sector — which played a role in assisting Boss and other companies through the Export Max programme, which provides customised capacitybuilding and market-penetration support to help local export companies enhance their competitiveness.
“Devaluation locally has created a weak buying power for our people, because salaries are unable to keep up with the devaluation of the currency,” Azan stated. “Our goal has been to create a product our people can afford. This not only helps the country with earning foreign exchange, but helps our business and staff to be able to have continuity of earnings.”