Local furniture maker makes export breakthrough in US

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Jasim Uddin Haroon brA local furniture manufacturer said Sunday it made an export breakthrough in the United States after booking order to ship 600 pieces of chairs and window seats to the world's largest market.brLegacy Furniture Limited would export its first consignment to southern American state of North Carolina on October 30, making it the first company to export furniture to US$35 billions strong US market. brInitially, we'll export 600 pieces of chairs and window seats to a North Carolina-based company at a price of US$40,000, said managing director of the company Amer Karim. brIt's not a big amount. But it's the beginning of a big export breakthrough for Bangladesh's hundreds of quality furniture manufacturers, he added.brNorth Carolina is called the furniture capital of the world, as most of the world's top manufacturers are based there. brIf our products can woo the clients of North Carolina, we can easily woo the rest of the world, Karim added. brExperts said Legacy's entry into the US market would provide a launching pad for top local companies like Hatil, Otobi, Brothers, Akhter Furnishers, Navana and Partex. brAmong the Bangladeshi manufacturers, only Hatil and Otobi have exported their products abroad, but mostly in India, the world's largest furniture importer, and a meagre amount to several other Asian countries.brKarim said furniture made by Bangladeshi carpenters have impressed top buyers from the United States, including some chain shop owners. brWe have started with chairs. But almost all our wooden products have earned praises from the US companies. We hope to diversify our exports within a year, he said. br We have already started negotiations with some of them. brA senior export official of the company said Bangladesh would emerge as a top furniture exporter within years, as the country has abundant cheap labour, a tradition in craftsmanship and a huge pool of top quality carpenters.brLegacy Furniture was established in 1999 at Gulshan and has four shops and a factory in the capital. Presently it employs 600 people. brThe global furniture market is around $ 70 billion, with United States accounting for half the size.br