SME Fair at the Caudan Waterfront: Up to 50% discount on local products

One of the most awaited events of the year for many entrepreneurs is finally here. “Le Salon des PME” (The SME Fair) has been officially launched on Thursday November 3, at Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover a variety of locally manufactured products of some 114 entrepreneurs and benefit from promotional prices. Some 20,000 visitors are expected during the four days event. 

Plants, spices, jewellery, furniture, clothing, consumable products, perfumes, cleaning products and equipment, water tank, shoes, handbags, handicrafts... all locally produced! This is what the SME Fair is offering to the public as from Thursday November 3 until Sunday November 6, 2016.  The event is organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) in collaboration with Le Défi Media Group. 

Visitors will also discover new products that have recently been introduced on the market. One of the commonly identified constraints for the growth of the SME sector is access to markets. Small businesses lack adequate resources to promote, market and sell their products. Space in prime locations to enhance their market visibility is beyond the reach of the majority of those operators. It is against this backdrop that the SMEDA regularly organises trade fairs across the island to promote local products.  

The primary objective of the SME Fair is to raise awareness about the know-how of local SMEs, and hence, increase the visibility of locally-manufactured products. According to the Managing Director of SMEDA, Phalraj Servansingh, the Fair represents an appropriate platform to showcase, promote and sell products to individual/corporate buyers as well as to the visiting tourists. 

“It will allow more than 100 SMEs operating in a wide range of sectors to exhibit their products and services. The Fair will also allow them to network and develop linkages with other enterprises, suppliers, traders, industrial buyers and large enterprises,” he states. However, he adds, the event is solely intended for SMEs having an annual turnover not exceeding Rs. 50 millions in the manufacturing as well as the services sector. “Furthermore, participating SMEs are allowed to exhibit and sell only locally-manufactured products.” 

Parama Valaydon, president of SMEDA: “Addressing the lack of visibility”

The organisation of fairs is essential to address the problem of lack of visibility of SMEs, says Parama Valaydon, Chairman of the SMEDA. “There is a need to make the skills and expertise of local entrepreneurs known to the population,” he says. Apart from fairs, he believes that the focus is also on fieldwork. Awareness campaigns on the importance of entrepreneurship are being carried out regularly across the island.

Other fairs in Mahébourg and Flacq soon 

The Minister of Business, Sunil Bholah, announced that SMEDA plans to hold other fairs in the coming months. “Very soon, we are organising SME fairs in Mahébourg and Flacq respectively,” he says. The same exercise will be carried out in other regions across the island to increase visibility of locally manufactured products.

GOOD TO KNOW!

• Event Location: Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis
• Number of exhibitors: 114
• Opening days: Thursday 3 November to Sunday 6 November
• Opening Time: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Number of visitors expected: 20,000
• Entrance: Free

Communication of the event

Communication of the Fair is a key issue. Multiple channels will be used to communicate the event, in particular the following ones: radio spots, TV captions, digital advertising, banners and flyers. Radio Plus will be the main media partner for the event.  In addition to spots, promos, live interventions, there will be live program on Saturday from 11:00 hr to 13:00 hr.

Sunil Bholah, Minister of Business: “SMEs should focus on exports”

For the Minister of Business, the fact that this fair is organised in the centre of Port Louis, it will attract not only Mauritians but also tourists at Caudan Waterfront. “So I have no doubt that this event will be a great success for most entrepreneurs,” he says. According to him, this is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet one of the biggest challenges they face, lack of visibility. Regarding new products and innovation, the Minister is of the opinion that there have been improvements compared to previous fairs held in Pailles, in May. “But there is still a long way to go. SMEs do very well on the local market. Now, they need to focus on exporting their products,” he says.

Marie-Noëlle Elissac-Foy, co-founder of Smart Moves for Entrepreneurs: “Fairs are direct marketing tools” 

Marie-Noelle Elissac-Foy believes that the organisation of fairs for SMEs is an initiative to be multiplied further. “Fairs are platforms that allow entrepreneurs to not only sell their products, but also to see if their products have a potential market. It is a direct marketing for SMEs,” she stresses. However, she believes that SMEs must be well prepared before participating in a fair. “Exhibitors must first be prepared to answer customer queries. They must know their products. In addition, they must be equipped with communication tools such as brochures and business cards,” she says. Furthermore, says Marie-Noëlle Elissac-Foy, entrepreneurs must pay special attention to the decoration of their stands and representation of their products.

CEO of MauBank, Sridhar Nagarajan: “High demand for loans”

Access to finance, indicates Sridhar Nagarajan, is a must for entrepreneurs. “At the MauBank, we are committed to support SMEs financially. The SME Financing Scheme at an interest rate of 3 per cent is much demanded nowadays. Till now, under this scheme, we granted loans to 50 aspiring entrepreneurs who would not been able to get a loan from other financial institutions,” he explains. Furthermore, he highlights that MauBank also offers support services in terms of counselling and business plan for entrepreneurs to survive.

Zoom on some entrepreneurs

Standard Solar System Engineering Ltd: Discounts up to 50%

In the category of solar energy, we come across Standard Solar System Engineering Ltd, specialised in the manufacture of water tanks. “Our products are made locally. The tanks are made in a way so that they are not damaged by sunlight and prevent the existence of algae inside the tank,” says the Sales Manager Ritesh Kumar Hurchand. He argues that the Fair is an opportunity for visitors to take advantage of discounts of up to 50%. “For example, a tank of 1000 L is being sold at Rs 3,950 instead of Rs 7,900,” he says. Moreover, he stresses that customers will also receive gifts on every purchase.

Top Detergent Ltd: A variety of products for your home and your car 

For the past nine years, Top Detergent Ltd. manufactures cleaning products for homes and cars. “We offer about 50 varieties of products. They include washing machine liquid, dishwashing liquid, toilet disinfectants. In addition, we also manufacture equipment and cleaning tools such as buckets, mops, brushes stick, among others,” says the director Shalini Anmol. This year, the company introduced a product to clean and polish the car tires. “In the previous Salon at Pailles, we sold more than 30,000 units of products. For this exhibition, we expect to make better sales, “she argues.

Arvani Ltd: Socks for your feet!

With a production of 25,000 to 30,000 pairs of socks per month, Arvani Ltd. continues to introduce new products on the market. “This year, we have a whole range of new products we intend to promote. Among there are socks made from bamboo yarn. Apart from being antiperspirant, bamboo socks prevent bad smell,” says the director of the company, Rekha Cowaloosur. Moreover, among the new products include socks dedicated to firemen. “They are made from mercerised cotton,” she says. The Kashmiri socks, she says, are also new in the market.

Nandlal Ship Models: Models of boats at half price

Engaged in making model boats for over 25 years, Nandlal sells his products in tourist shops and hotels. “This is a high value added product. Thus, prices start from Rs 2,000 to Rs 50,000 per unit,” he says. However, during the fair, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy these models at half price. “For example, the best-selling model is of 60 cm long. Instead of Rs 8,000, customers will pay only Rs 4,000 during the three days,” he says.

Pépinière de Caradec: Consume BIO foods!

In the village of Saint-Julien, the Pépinière Caradec is growing organic vegetables. “We were engaged in sugar cane production. Recently, we have diversified our activities towards organic cultivation over an area of two acres,” says the director, Savita Runghen. In fact, she says, the products are made under the ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’ concept. “That is, we use natural materials such as urine of cows / bulls and brown sugar in our production,” she continues. For the director, the fair will be a platform where she will have the opportunity to create awareness on bio consumption.

Anne Marie Quetel: “I never miss an opportunity to improve my talent”

Her handmade fancy pieces of jewellery are one of the attractions of the fair. Anne Marie Quetel has been in this business for over a decade. At the beginning, she was selling jewellery before taking the decision to produce her own products herself. She attended training courses including courses at the SMEDA. According to Anne Marie Quetel, we must be creative in order to succeed in making jewellery. “I never miss an opportunity to improve my knowledge in the field of craft jewellery,” she says.

Biscuiterie HR Rault: A reference for over a century

Who does not know the famous cassava biscuits (biscuits manioc)? A 100% locally produced biscuits which are being sold since 1870. After 146 years, the manufacturing process has never stopped being innovative. “These are the healthiest biscuits that we can find,” says its director Patrick Seneca. Another important feature, he says, is that the biscuits are gluten free. Cassava biscuits are available in different flavours including butter, milk, coconut, vanilla, chocolate among others.