Reference no: EM133369832

Quartz Co. was founded in 1997, making heavy parkas for Canada's extreme weather conditions. Quartz Co.'s coats continue to be made in Quebec with superior-quality Canadian down. About 90% are currently sold in Canada, "which remains our first market for now," says Jean-Philippe Robert, the company's president, with the rest exported. In foreign markets the key is to point out that the coats are made in Canada.

Quartz Co. wants to diversify its markets to many countries, as well as vastly expanding its outerwear designs and promoting its qualities as an all-Canadian luxury brand that reflects the country's northern heritage. The Canada- EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been helpful in Quartz Co's burgeoning sales in Europe.

With just 10% of Quartz Co's sales are offshore in France and the U.S., Quartz Co. wants to tackle more foreign markets and finds that the best strategy is to pick just a few key ones and find a distribution partner in each that could sell the company's outerwear to major retailers there. The next step is to go greener, with certified recycled materials in its highly technical fabrics. "The sustainability aspect is something we work hard on these days," he says. "Our garments last forever and look good."

Quartz Co. wants to focus on exporting to Japan, and has a researcher position to conduct a research on exporting to Japan.

Source: Adapted from CanExport, "The Canadian brand is strong for outerwear company"

Answer these questions on this case study

The CEO of Quartz Co. asks you about the professional sources you would use in this research study on exporting to Japan.

Specify the sources (with specific names of sources) and explain what types of data and information you can get from each source.