Top 9 Clothing Stores In Brazil
Brazil has one of the most appealing retail clothing markets in the world. In this article we will take a closer look at this Brazilian segment through the ranking of its 9 largest clothing store chains.
Overview
According to the consulting company A.T. Kearney, Brazil has jumped from seventh position to fifth position in the retail clothing ranking. The ranking was published in 2013, at a time when the middle class was experiencing huge growth and an increasing interest in fashion. The expansion of shopping malls also contributed to the growth of this sector. The ranking measures consumer appeal towards brands.
In another study by the same consulting company, Brazil was mentioned as the most appealing emerging country for investment in the retail clothing segment, ahead of China and Romania. The data collected considers aspects such as total imports, clothing production, total population, the age of the population and the presence of international retailers in the country.
Top 9 Clothing Stores in Brazil
The following ranking is entirely based on Ibevar’s (Instituto Brasileiro de Executivos de Varejo) study published in 2013 regarding the largest retailers in Brazil. The order is determined by the total revenue in 2013.
1. Casas Pernambucanas
- Total revenue: BRL 6 billion
- 303 stores
- 17.000 employees
- Brands it owns: Pernambucanas
- Founded in 1908
Pernambucanas offers a large variety of clothing and home textiles for its customers, which are mostly middle class, between the ages of 18 and 40. In order to reach this type of customer, the brand maintains low prices. Pernambucanas tries to differentiate from C&A and Renner through its modern line of textiles and diversifying its product lines.
2. C&A
- Total revenue: BRL 5,75 billion
- 261 stores
- 17.000 employees
- Brands it owns: C&A
- Founded in 1841
The Dutch company C&A has tradition in the Brazilian clothing market. Its strategy has always been to offer modern fashion at low prices. C&A often ask celebrities to design collections to attract a younger consumer base. Its main target is the young middle class aged between 18 and 25.
3. Grupo Guararapes
- Total revenue: BRL 5,8 billion
- 2121 stores
- 24.060 employees
- Brands it owns: Riachuelo
- Founded in 1947
The brand Riachuelo recently went through a modernisation process and adhered to the concept of fast fashion in order to guarantee new trends and low prices for consumers. The brand has repositioned themselves to reach the middle and upper classes by opening stores in prime locations.
4. Lojas Renner
- Total revenue: BRL 5,7 billion
- 278 stores
- 16.367 employees
- Brands it owns: Renner, Camicado and Youcum
- Founded in 1912
An interesting thing that Lojas Renner does is to organize its collections according to lifestyles, offering a wide range of clothing which include formal and casual product lines. The brand offers current fashion at accessible prices in order to reach the middle class.
5. Lojas Marisa
- Total revenue: BRL 3,72 billion
- 407 stores
- 16.000 employees
- Brands it owns: Marisa and Marisa Loungerie
- Founded in 1948
Focusing on women’s fashion, although they also offer men and childrens fashion Lojas Marisa target market is the C class women ages between 20 to 35. The store specializes in womens fashion and lingerie, and recently developed Marisa Loungerie.
In 1999, Marisa launched a store card offering customers access to a range of unique benefits, better payment terms and facilitated credit. The Marisa Card was an important tool for the business strategy for customer loyalty, as well as a great way to increase sales revenue.
6. Havan
- Total revenue: BRL 2,4 billion
- 65 stores
- 12.000 employees
- Brands it owns: Havan
- Founded in 1986
Havan target is the middle class, ages between 25 to 40 and sells clothing, electronics, toys, textiles and many other things. The brand has expanded a lot in recent years, but is still very powerful in its state of origin, Rio Grande do Sul.
7. Cia Hering
- Total revenue: BRL 2 billion
- 743 stores
- 9.342 employees
- Brands it owns: Hering Stores, Hering Kids and Puc & Dzarm
- Founded in 1880
Hering is a Brazilian brand focused on fashion for both men and women. Hering distinguishes itself by being widely accepted across all social classes and age groups and is recognized by more than 90% of Brazilians. Moreover, it is a brand that combines fashion and comfort.
8. InBrands
- Total revenue: BRL 1,1 billion
- 362 stores
- 2.876 employees
- Brands it owns: Ellus, Richards, VR Menswear, Ellus 2nd Floor, Salinas, Alexandre Herchcovitch, VR Kids, Mandi, Selaria Richards and Bobstore
- Inbrands has a joint venture with Tommy Hilfiger in Brazil
- Founded in 2007
Inbrands owns many iconic brands and are leaders in this sector. It is highly competitive with the other chains due to the power of its brands. The brands controlled by the company present higher average prices, prioritizing quality.
9. Restoque
- Total revenue: BRL 1 billion
- 207 stores
- 4.200 employees
- Brands it owns: Le Lis Blanc Deux, Bo.Bô Bourgeois, Bohême, John John and Noir e Le Lis
- Founded in 1982
Restoque has established brands in the market and seeks to serve a more exclusive and higher income consumer who are looking for high quality products. As the stores are located essentially in upper class malls and areas its range of products is more exclusive and its target market is upper class consumers.