Australian apparel chain Cotton On arrives in Brazil

Cotton On, the largest apparel retailer in Austraia, is arriving in Brazil next month with its first store in São Paulo. With 1,364 outlets in 16 countries, the company plans to open 1,000 stores globally in the next five years, prioritizing the south of Africa and the Americas and having Brazil as a key market, says Robert Kenny, the executive in charge of the group’s expansion.

Cotton On grew rapidly in the last eight years and until 2005 had only 50 stores. Mr. Kenny says the company is not intimidated by Brazil’s 35% import duty and is betting on the fact that Cotton On started in the Southern Hemisphere, different from other apparel multinationals that joined the Brazilian market recently – which means that the company’s collections will enjoy simultaneous launch in Australia and Brasil, cutting costs and time. 

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