Brazil's Sierra forms Cerrado for North American push
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, January 14, 2002
HIGH POINT — Sierra Furniture, a major full-line furniture manufacturer in Brazil, has formed Cerrado Corp. to market its products in North America.
Jeffrey Friedman, who has been Sierra's distributor in the United States and Canada, is president of Cerrado, which has offices and leased distribution facilities in High Point.
"My goal is to make this a distribution-oriented company that provides upscale products that American consumers want to buy," Friedman said. "We'll be developing, in conjunction with Sierra, innovative products that will give Sierra unique branding in the United States."
Initially, Cerrado will offer eight collections, mostly wood but including upholstery, in varying styles at middle to upper-end price points, with shipments set to begin in late February or early March.
"We'll be stocking and plan to offer a fast-ship program," Friedman said. "Our goal is to have 15 to 20 reps on board in time for the April market. We'll focus on select major accounts to receive product from High Point or by direct container."
Cerrado will work with customers to modify regular product for smaller production runs.
Sierra has exhibited in High Point for a couple of years to gauge North American tastes, and it has developed new finishes and tweaked dimensions for more appeal to U.S. customers.
The company also has developed better packaging, warranties and a new product barcoding system to make it easier for U.S. customers to identify product by collection or individual item. Catalogs will show dimensions in inches, and a CD-ROM will assist dealers with art for print media. The company also has a Web site, www.cerradocorp.com.
In addition to High Point, Cerrado has committed to the inaugural Las Vegas show, which developers of that market expect to hold in early 2004.
"We'll also think about the contemporary show in New York next year, and whatever regional shows our reps believe are important," Friedman said.
Cerrado eventually will add other products besides Sierra's to its line. "Over time, we want to be the exclusive distributor for a full range of products that reflect the Sierra name, sourced by Sierra in Brazil," Friedman said.
Sierra Furniture built Sierra Park, home to the Salão do Movel Brasil, one of Latin America's fastest-growing furniture shows. That venue should prove a valuable resource as Cerrado expands its line, Friedman said.
"It gives us the ability to identify some other companies to work with," he said.
Sierra employs 650 people in a 400,000-square-foot plant in Gramado, in the southernmost state in Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. The company plans to build 250,000 square feet of additional space dedicated to export. In addition to a major domestic presence in Brazil, Sierra currently exports to 18 countries.
