iGUi, the world’s largest manufacturer of GRP (glass reinforced polyester) swimming pools, is going through the pandemic in full swing. The participant of Franchising Brasil — internationalization program for the franchising sector carried out through a partnership between the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF), with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) — continues to expand internationally, and today it is present in 55 countries, including Brazil. According to an article published in the Pequenas Empresas & Grandes Negócios (Small companies & Big business) magazine, of the 223 units located abroad, 35 were opened during the pandemic.
iGUi — “water” in Tupi-Guarani, a language spoken by some indigenous peoples of Brazil — was founded in the city of Gravataí, located in southern Brazil, in 1995. The network, however, started its international expansion only in 2006. Two years later, it joined the ABF. Since then, growth has been intense: in 2015, it ranked 1st in the FDC Franchise Internationalization Ranking, released by Fundação Dom Cabral. The network reached 19.7% in the ranking’s internationalization index. The following year, it won the ABF Franchising Highlight Award in the franchisor of the year category. And in 2019 and 2020, the company was also a highlight in the ABF International Franchise Certificate.
In an interview to the Franchising Brasil website, Filipe Sisson, CEO and founder of iGUi, attributes this expansion to the nature of internationalization: “the markets, respecting cultural differences and construction standards, overall, are open to negotiations”. As iGUi works with leisure products, it is easier to find fertile ground to establish the franchise and attract interest. “We always seek to innovate in order to always create models of swimming pools and finishes that, regardless of the country, adapt well to the architecture, offering more comfort to our customers”, says Sisson.
iGUi plans to continue its national and international expansion, adds Sisson. “All our factories have increased their production capacity to meet the demand of our franchisees with excellence”. Present in economic core nations such as the United States, Canada, and Germany, as well as in developing countries such as India, Sisson says that the growth makes the company very proud, as well as the certainty that they will continue working with a focus on quality, service, and innovation.
About Franchising Brazil
Franchising Brazil is a sectorial project, carried out by the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), which aims at supporting the internationalization strategy of the Brazilian franchise networks and their international commercial promotion. The initiative is designed to promote this recognized business model in key international markets.