AMSTERDAM, April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Atradius Collections opens new office 1^st of May in Sao Paulo, Brazil 

Raymond van der Loos announces the opening of a new Atradius Collections office on the 1^st of May 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Atradius Collections continues expanding into new markets, strengthening its global market position.  

The expansion of Atradius Collections (AC) into fast growing Brazil extends the company's presence to include 19 countries, from which it is serving over 200 countries. The office will be located at Av. Angélica, 2546 - Conjunto 81 -  8^th floor, CEP 01228-200 São Paulo, Brazil.

Atradius Collections has been offering its services within Latin America for a number of years, delivered through Mexico and using local agents. However, until now it did not have its own direct presence in Brazil. In Latin America, AC also has an office in Mexico and is planning on further expansion in Latin America through a cooperation in Chile later this year.

Brazil's economy has more than quadrupled over the last ten years as have its imports. The country is now the seventh largest world economy. With more international and domestic trade comes a rise in non payment queries and a need for debt collections expertise. Managing Director Raymond van der Loos acknowledges this trend "our customers are exporting more and more to Latin America. It's important to be present where our customers are, and if you want to do the best job of supporting customers, you need to have local people who have the expertise understanding local practices." Growing customer demand, mainly from the Americas, is producing market opportunities and new business for AC in Brazil and Chile.

Local presence and global knowledge 

A lot of multinationals are basing their Latin American operations in Brazil, using it as a platform for expansion into South America. As global customers grow their business in this region, Atradius Collections should be there to support them from Brazil.

Doing business in Brazil can sometimes be complex and requires knowledge of the market. Therefore, a physical presence is important in order to understand the local rules, culture, and legal environment and it is also important in understanding and speaking the language. "Opportunities are ahead in Brazil, however to succeed in this complex market, you need to have local expertise" says Raymond van der Loos. Moreover relationships are important in doing successful business in Latin America. Being close to the customers enables Atradius Collections to maintain positive commercial relationships with the debtors.

Raymond van der Loos observes a downward trend in payment behaviour: 'In Brazil we observe high delays in payment behaviours, definitely when it comes to international trade." Atradius Collections future outlook for Brazil is that the payment morale will further deteriorate. This will lead to more non payments, insolvencies and consequently the added value to help customers there will be higher.

With the opening of Brazil, Atradius Collections will have 20 offices around the world, expanding its geographical reach.

For more information about the new office in Brazil please visit http://www.atradiuscollections.com

About Atradius Collections 

Atradius Collections, a business unit of Atradius Group, provides efficient, quick and flexible solutions to recover domestic and international trade debts. With 20 offices and an extensive network of collections specialists and lawyers worldwide, Atradius Collections serves more than 14,500 customers. Over 85 years of global credit management industry experience uniquely positions Atradius Collections as a worldwide leader in business-to-business trade invoice collections services. Please visit http://www.atradiuscollections.com for more information.

http://www.atradiuscollections.com

http://www.linkedin.com/company/atradius-collections

http://www.twitter.com/AtradiusCollect

SOURCE Atradius Collections B.V.