Jorge Alberto Armel, general manager of Comertex, maintained that his expectations for the fair and what will be in 2022 are positive. “However, we do have some big freight cost clouds due to the container crisis and the lack of supplies,” he said.
Comertex generates 157,000 direct jobs and has three types of businesses: a company that imports textile products that are sold in the country, including sheets, covers, and pillows. It also has 13 stores in the region and abroad where they sell textiles and finished products, and manage international brand franchises.
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This company from Santander is part of the top five wholesale textile marketing companies in the country, specializing in the distribution of products for clothing, equipment and industry. This year, they presented their Travesía 2022 collection at Colombiatex.
Regarding business expectations for 2022, the general manager stated: “We are relaunching our Tru brand, which we want to strengthen in our own stores and with our external customers. Likewise, strengthen finished textiles to order our articles such as fabrics, sheets, covers and other accessories. Growth will be above double digits.”
Regarding textile innovation and reduction of environmental impact, the businessman stated that for this year they will incorporate three new fabrics that will help them improve the environmental issue. “However, and although there are not many substitutes for fabrics, there are already factories that are beginning to do textile work that helps improve water, purity, and fabric treatments that have certifications that we show on our products,” said the businessman. .
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Armel believes that at the moment the problem has to do with the rise in cotton, since exporting countries such as China and Pakistan are having difficulties with their production crops. Likewise, containers continue to raise the cost of international and national transport. The import issue is not easy, many times the opportunity lies with whoever has the product on time and not with the cheapest one.
“We closed the year quite well. The commercial and textile part was quite active, at the beginning of the year it was a bit difficult due to the national strike, but in the second semester we managed to recover those losses,” Armel said.
For the businessman, the Santander textile industry has been growing in the last year and there is hope that the reactivation will be consolidated in 2022. Comertex grew in sales by 15% in 2021 compared to 2019. "We use the fair to launch the new products this year, it is like a kind of showcase for producer entrepreneurs”, he added.
He added that Santander has a great asset, and when one thinks of children's clothing, the first thing that comes to mind is Santander. Denim is a strong product that is processed in the department. In Santander, the textile sector is growing strongly.
According to official figures from Inexmoda, at the close of Colombiatex on its second day there were 14,000 visitors from countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and the United States. 8,000 national buyers. The main regions are Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Valle and Santander. 1,000 internationals (300 more than expected by Inexmoda in the three days of the event).
