MOROCCO

Atretis, a weaver of jacquard woven goods and jacquard velvets, offers fabrics in cotton, cotton blends, linen, linen blends, viscose and polyester. The company will be at Showtime in High Point Dec. 6-9.

In 2006, with the signing of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement and the assistance of the American Chamber of Commerce in Casablanca, Atretis started planning its market expansion into the United States. It employed American expertise in fabric design and construction which assisted in developing an adapted and competitive product, specifically conceived for the U.S. market. Atretis’ U.S. operations are based in Miami through Globaxion, Inc., an American company representing Moroccan manufacturers in the U.S. The Miami office handles all aspects of Atretis’ U.S. operations including sales, logistics, customer service, as well as fulfillment. Atretis has also lined up an established and professional sales force that spans the entire country.

"We’ve decided to enter this market under no illusions, fully aware of the challenges the economic downturn has created," said Sami Samir, head of U.S. operations for Atretis. "Our strategy is that of long term. As the economic engines start to recover, it is our vision that we would have been established and have become an integral part of the fiber of this market."

Atretis was established in 1991 in Casablanca, Morocco, as an upholstery fabrics distributor; by 1994 it had already engaged in fabric manufacturing to meet its own demand. Atretis' market was mainly domestic and its exports focused on the Middles East and Europe. In 2005, Atretis obtained the ISO 9001 v 2000 Certification. The company currently employs about 98 employees.

From hfbusiness