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South African Promotion launched in Spain Madrid - South
African Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mrs Lindiwe Hendricks launched
a South African Promotion at El Corte Ingles, Spain's largest and most popular
department store chain. The event took place on 20th May 2005 at the Castellana
Store in Madrid. El Corte Ingles has over 70 stores in Spain and in excess of
1000 travel agencies. Castellana, their flagship store in Madrid has an impressive
7 stories, with goods ranging from food products, gift items, clothes, electrical
products, and more. The South African promotion will run from 20th May
to 11th June at 40 of the El Corte Ingles department stores. The promotion has
a display of over 100 South African products in the stores ranging from crafts,
wines, gifts, cushions, blankets, clothes, and cutlery. Three of the suppliers
to El Corte Ingles accompanied the Deputy Minister to Spain, they include the
well-known South African company, Carol Boyes; a clothing manufacturer Sister
Bucks; and craft company Gone Rural. Mr Oscar Ngcobo from Gone Rural supplied
17 000 units of beaded bracelets and necklaces. To give the launch of the
promotion a South African feel and generate greater interest in the South African
products, the Department of Trade and Industry, who worked with El Corte Ingles
on the project, also assisted 10 crafters to travel to Spain. The crafters are
working on site and demonstrating their abilities for the Spanish public. The
crafters include: bead workers, artists, and wire bangle makers. According
to Deputy Minister Hendricks the impact of this promotion will see the ties between
Spain and South Africa being strengthened. Already El Corte Ingles have purchased
R30 million worth of goods from the South African suppliers, with more arising
in the near future. The promotion will also see South Africa being marketed
as a destination for Spanish tourists. The one million people that pass through
El Corte Ingles every day will have the opportunity of booking their holiday to
South Africa and entering a competition to visit the country, with flights sponsored
by South African Airways. The International Marketing Council are using the opportunity
of this promotion to further market and brand South Africa. Spain has made
significant investments into South Africa and is South Africa's 11th largest trading
partner. While in Spain, Hendricks met with several of the largest Spanish investors
into the country, she said they were very excited about the opportunities in South
Africa and several were expanding their investments. Mxolisi Matshamba,
the acting CEO of the dti division, Trade and Investment South Africa, commented
that given the levels of interest in the country by both investors and tourists,
South Africans will need to brush up on their Spanish and understanding of Spanish
culture. Deputy Minister Hendricks is scheduled to launch the South Africa
promotion at the El Corte Ingles store in Lisbon, Portugal on Tuesday 24th May
2005. Issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the South
African Embassy in Madrid Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001 20
May 2005
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