RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Americanas department store chain on Thursday, July 8, announced the opening of an office in the territory of Hong Kong. The expansion to the Eastern side of the planet stems from the retailer’s foreign trade development, particularly its imports from China.
This cross border operation is focused on expanding the recent Americanas Mundo brand for some of the commercialized products.
It is used by the retailer to deliver items sold from China to Brazilian clients, in an operation that is somewhat reminiscent of the presence of famous Asian stores such as AliExpress and DealExtreme.
The Americanas office has a local team to expand the current number of foreign sellers in this modality, increasing the variety of options and also seeking a lower cost for consumers.
“Currently, there are over 50 million imported items, several categories, exclusive brands and guaranteed delivery in up to 11 days for various products – with complete order tracking, payment option in Brazilian currency and credit card installments up to 12 times,” says Americanas in a press release.
The office opening occurs after an increase of over 100% in product sales with the Americanas Mundo brand in the first quarter 2021 compared to the same period last year. The retailer says that the best-selling foreign-origin items for Brazilians are in the audio, toys, smartwatches, smartbands and virtual reality goggles categories.
Americanas intends to increase private labels
A second goal of this Hong Kong office is focused on increasing the amount of Americanas’ exclusive or private label products.
“The company has a portfolio of over 26 exclusive brands in various segments, such as toys, housewares, electronics, among others. The international structure includes a team of Chinese executives focused on stepping up negotiations, prospecting and product, supplier and seller quality control, in addition to providing support to Americanas’ cross border operation,” the Brazilian company said.
“We expect to handle more than 8,000 containers in 2021. By the end of this year, the company will have a second base in the region, in the city of Shenzhen,” Americanas added.