Talking To: Grabo
Balloon Business The
Left: David Pike, group director of Calendar Club and Halloween HQ. Above: The first Halloween HQ of the 2017 season opened in September in Dundrum, Ireland.
An Italian company which specialises in foil balloons of all shapes and sizes, Grabo International has seen its business undergo a number of changes over the last few years. The company puts this growth down to its unique philosophy: happiness! PPE spoke to overseas manager Jonathan Grassi to find out more.
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Above: Masha and the talian company Grabo International Bear is just one of Grabo’s has been making high-quality foil popular licenses. Right: balloons for the last 37 years. The Grabo stand at this years Spielwarenmesse. Already well-known across much of Far right: Overseas mainland Europe, the family company manager Jonathan Grassi. has recently been making strides into the UK market after becoming the main first began and UK distributor for Betallic balloons this closeness in 2017, adding the popular lines to the business into its already packed portfolio. ensures the very With a wide range of product available, high quality standards for which Grabo Grabo specialises in street balloons, jumbo is known. “We are also extremely flexible shapes and minishapes as well as licensed with our clients,” and generic everyday he continued. “We designs. From its have great teamwork modest start at the Business has been and co-operation beginning of the with colleagues and 80s – when founder outstanding. Our distributors, the solid Giorgio Grassi was exponential yearly growth and sound respect of the first to produce shows that customers are the market and its foil balloons in mechanisms, as well Europe – Grabo happy with the job that is as devotion to the now employs more being done. Taking on the product – and joy!” than 200 people Betallic distributorship The sheer size of around the world. its catalogue allows “Grabo has was a strategic move Grabo’s products been distinguished which has strongly to suit over the years for enhanced our position the taste the quality of our of all the products and the within the party sector. countries promptness of Jonathan Grassi it works our service,” said in. Offering Jonathan, explaining in the region why the company of 3,000 balloons, the catalogue has been so successful. “Our business offers an incredible range of deco is also supported by an outstanding balloons, digits, 9”, 18”, 36”, warehouse and logistics mechanism, the engineering of our innovations and the beauty of our designs.” Right: B-Pad balloons allow customers to add their The balloons themselves have been own messages – again and again! Far right: Grabo 40” made entirely in Italy since the company Superloons are available in an assortment of colours.
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everyday and seasonal shapes, 3-D and 4-D balloons, custom balloons and more. This wide and varied portfolio allows Grabo to operate easily and effecteively across the markets in Europe, South America, the Middle-East, Northern and Eastern Africa, Taiwan and Russia. “Some of our most significant and popular lines are the numbers and letters shapes,” said Jonathan. “We have the vastest range of these, offering four different sizes and innumerous colours. The Betallic line, which we took on last year, has
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MARCH/APRIL 2018
06/04/2018 17:11