Strong in Europe. Stuck for growth.
Verona Cucine makes premium kitchens. Saturated at home, they wanted a new market — but every route meant appointing a distributor, stocking a warehouse, clearing customs and registering a local company. Too costly, too risky. They almost passed on Syria.
One showroom. Category locked.
Instead, they reserved a ground-floor showroom at Exaa and secured the kitchen anchor — before opening, at first-mover terms. They fitted it out with their range and put one specialist on the floor.
The market walked in — and bought.
Within months their specialist had closed a 300-apartment developer, a boutique Damascus hotel, and a run of villas in Yafour — deals that would each need a separate market entry anywhere else. All from one floor.
The order goes to Italy. Exaa moves the goods.
Every order was raised to Verona's HQ in Italy. Exaa handled the import, customs clearance, storage and delivery to each site — and the Syrian buyers paid Verona's HQ directly, into its Italian account. Verona never opened a company, a warehouse or a customs file in Syria. It exhibited, sold, and shipped from home.
The default kitchen in a rebuilding country.
Inside a year, "which kitchen?" in Damascus increasingly meant Verona. Repeat orders, a widening range, a second showroom. They didn't test Syria — they took a category in it, for the decade it takes to rebuild.