With a sense of optimism, Vista Alegre's managers are looking forward to Cristiano Ronaldo's entry into the company, after acquiring 10% of the group, whose main shareholder is Visabeira and which also owns the Bordallo Pinheiro brand.

In an interview with Jornal Económico (JE), Nuno Parra, Director and Marketing Manager, Product Design, E-Commerce and Retail in Portugal at Vista Alegre. He talks about the objectives related to the internationalization process of Bordalo Pinheiro and Vista Alegre, with the arrival of the Portuguese player and the recent partnership with the Esporão Group, which resulted in the creation of the “Olival” group.

How did the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Allegri's Vista group arise?

Cristiano Ronaldo has an investment company that invests in several areas and the opportunity arose to invest in the Vista Alegre group. He is very focused on the Portuguese issue and how he can help Portugal and that is what happened.

Was the 10% the percentage set by Cristiano Ronaldo or Vista Allegri?

It was a negotiation between the two, and I can't give many details about it.

What impact does this association have on Bordalo Pinheiro and Vista Alegre, considering the notoriety that Cristiano Ronaldo has around the world?

The goal is, above all, to grow with a major focus on the Middle East. Cristiano Ronaldo has a great influence in those markets and the goal is to grow both brands in those markets.

What does this partnership between Bordalo Pinheiro and Grupo Esporão mean?

This association with the Esporão group is a relatively obvious one because Esporão is a reference in both olive oil and wine, two elements of Portuguese, just like Bordalo Pinheiro, and since Essporão has a similar position to Bordalo, it made perfect sense to work together.

We started with olive oil, and now, who knows, what will come next, because with this combination of values ​​and brand positioning, it is natural that more things will happen.

Could the fact that they are two strong brands, both nationally and internationally, open doors for other brands to follow suit?

Yes, I think one of the things we see a lot in Portugal, that is, brands that collaborate a little bit, saying that it is not a Portuguese thing to have collaborations, but the reality is that each brand works alone, in this internationalization process, which are always very difficult processes for us, who have a small scale.

We can only benefit from these brand connections. If this can help other brands or give ideas to other Portuguese brands to join in the process of conquering other markets, that's great.

We have great products, and we have a few brands, but often working together is a good way to overcome this small-scale problem.

If the brands come together, it will be much easier to reach many markets. In this case, Esporão again has a great similarity with Bordallo Pinheiro, the external market, which is very important for both Esporão and Bordallo.

In Bordalo, at present, about 69% of sales are made in foreign markets. So, there is already some culture of internationalization. If these two brands come together to explore other markets together, that is great.

Of these 69%, which markets are most important to Bordalo Pinheiro?

Bordallo Pinheiro is unique in that it can enter markets that are completely different from each other. At the moment, the United Kingdom has already overtaken Spain, followed by France, Germany, Brazil and the United States.

What is the weight of these markets for Bordalo Pinheiro?

At the moment, I would say that the UK growth rate should be around 5%, Spain growth rate should be very close to 4% to 5%, Germany growth rate should also be at 4%, Italy 3%, Brazil 3%-5%. And the US should be very close to 4%.

Is there any market you would like to have more exposure to?

We've been in the US relatively recently. We've grown very quickly, but this is where there's a lot of growth potential, because it's a huge market. We're mainly in New York State and California.

Then Asia, Mexico and India are interesting markets. There are still many geographies and where do we start now.

What attracts these markets to Bordalo Pinheiro?

Bordalo Pinheiro has a product that is very different from what is found in ceramics all over the world. What attracts customers is the colors, because ceramics in Portugal are very bright and strong colors. It is not something very common.

And then, the whole concept of nature where they look at Lisbon ceramics and think how can they suddenly turn everything they see in nature into ceramics?

This difference makes people find it very funny, because, moreover, it is easily combined with other simple products, for example, green cabbage suddenly appears from white plates.

Even in markets where you can't say, from the beginning, you want things like this, like the northern markets, which are very simple markets.

Bordalo already has a very interesting presence in Sweden, a market that only bought white a few years ago, suddenly Bordalo discovered Pinheiro and we are also growing a lot in the Nordic markets.

After the pandemic, were you able to restore your income?

Yes, we have already exceeded pre-pandemic levels. In 2018, we carried out work in the factory with the goal of earning eight million euros, and at the moment, we are already close to 13 million.

And for this year, is the target at this level 13 million or more?

A little further, let's see how the year goes. The situation is stable so far, and the prospects are very good.

What other strategies does Vista Alegre use not only for this year, but also for 2025?

Bordalo Pinheiro aims to increasingly internationalize. The goal is to grow and reach the maximum possible. For this process, a complete strategy has been designed, which is the development of new products and national and international partnerships. It is a strategy that focuses heavily on the product and communication, which are the two main pillars.

How many employees do you have at the moment?

If I'm not mistaken, 307 members.

Have you faced problems in terms of lack of workers?

The shortage of workers is a very transverse and crucial issue in the industry. We have increasingly come to value those jobs that are actually crucial in different ways. Not only from a salary point of view, but in terms of internal recognition and a lot of contact with the market to try to attract young people who are interested in the art-related industry, very close to the young people who study the arts. And it is important to try to find a workforce that has qualifications in these creative and artistic fields.

What types of measures would you like the government to implement in this area?

There are several fronts we can work on. One is the appreciation of what is arts and crafts, that is, the craftsman, because Bordalo has a lot of handwork. All the pieces of Bordalo Pinheiro are painted and made by hand, and this work is increasingly appreciated at the European level, because this is what makes it possible to create differentiation and products with added value.

And perhaps at the European level, French and English, where the state has taken several measures to value this type of work, and to highlight the craftsmen. We have many people in Portugal who are good at this part of the crafts, it is not a handicraft.

It is no coincidence that there are many international brands, especially European luxury brands, that come to Portugal to produce things and buy factories and workshops, because a lot of handicrafts are already done here, which is the basis of these high value added industries.

The state can intervene in these areas, evaluate them further, classify them, and determine their location. The more this is done, the more interest there will be in investing in these areas at the national and international levels.