Brazil is the new global hype . In recent months, the movement known as Brazilcore has been drawing the world's attention to the lifestyle, fashion , and culture of the Brazilian colors. Celebrities, ordinary people, and brands are all seeking a touch of Brazilian flair.

Responsible for the expansion of major brands such as Calzedonia, MAC, The North Face and Vans, as well as 146 other clients, the Portuguese consultancy Retail Mind understood that this was the right time to create an operation in the country.

“Many national brands are going abroad and this caught the group’s attention,” says Manoela Whitaker, country manager of Retail Mind in Brazil, to NeoFeed .

“Furthermore, after much study, we saw that Brazil is one of the countries with the most resilient retail sector and very sophisticated consumers who understand the brands they use, which only confirmed that it would be a good bet,” he adds.

With 25 years of experience in brand management at companies like Swatch and Iguatemi , Whitaker accepted the challenge of leading the company's vertical in Brazil in January and has already selected the group's first Brazilian client: Danki, a multi-brand retailer of premium women's footwear with more than 40 stores in 12 states.

According to the Portuguese consultancy, one of the attractive features was the multi-label positioning. Danki was created to cater to women who love sneakers and couldn't find a specific place to buy them.

Based on this premise, its founder, Heric Gomez, developed a curated selection of models from leading brands in the market, such as Adidas , Nike , On, New Balance, and Veja. With this strategy, he brought models that wouldn't normally reach Brazil, catering to his audience that moves between social classes A and B—and prices that can reach R$ 1,500.

“Danki came with this approach of focusing on the women's market, which previously felt inadequate when buying sneakers , and they filled a non-existent space, which delighted us,” says Whitaker. “Within our mapping, women's fashion is an area that lacks new brands, independent brands, so Danki also occupies that space.”

In this new phase, Retail will be responsible for the entire national expansion management of the brand, which is expected to open 12 more stores in the next two years. The consultancy's vision is that there is still much room to grow, even in smaller cities, which already have the capacity to support up to a second Danki store.

This plan includes regions such as the Southeast, Northeast, and South, where the brand should soon be launching, through both franchises and company-owned stores.

While the national strategy progresses, the brand is launching its international venture with the opening of the first Danki store outside of Brazil. The store will open in April at Shopping del Sol in Paraguay .

“The choice of Paraguay was based on the evidence the country has acquired over the years for its more relaxed fiscal policy, in addition to being next to Brazil and having good shopping malls. This decision was also influenced by Danki's business partners, who thought it was a good idea to open a channel there,” says the country manager .

Danki has more than 40 stores in 12 states (Photo: Reproduction)

Initially, the plan is to keep Danki in Latin America , due to the advantages of Mercosur and its proximity to another Retail Mind headquarters, located in Medellín, Colombia. The second step is to expand to Portugal , the consultancy's home base, and only then move on to other parts of Europe .

Danki's expansion plan is being further enhanced by the launch of a new brand, Nin. This newcomer focuses on athleisure , a mix of sportswear and leisurewear, also targeting high-income women. All of Nin's stores will be managed by Retail Mind, but no locations have yet been confirmed.

However, finalizing the strategy shouldn't be a major challenge, considering similar projects already executed by the consultancy in the countries where it operates.

With Blue Star Group, an Argentinian group that owns the Todomoda and Isadora brands, number 1 in fashion accessories in Latin America, Retail Mind has closed master franchise agreements in Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Bolivia. Now, the consultancy is focused on the global expansion of the brands to Europe and the Middle East.

In the entertainment sector, the Footlab brand, owned by soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo , has taken its first steps to expand beyond Europe and conquer Latin America through Bolivia.

In total, Retail Mind was responsible for managing and opening 3,000 stores for its clients. Globally, Retail Mind is expected to establish itself in two more countries soon.

Strategy in Brazil

In addition to Danki, Retail has already identified 19 other Brazilian clients for its services, which operate on a monthly fee plus a success fee tied to store openings.

For Whitaker, however, the company's goal is not to have a large volume of clients, but rather to have the time to dedicate attention to each stage of the expansion process. By the end of the year, the company expects to have a portfolio of 15 brands.

Currently, in addition to women's retail, the group is eyeing brands that can operate in shopping mall food courts, spaces that have become scarce in recent years and are still in high demand.

In addition to belonging to one of the sectors that interest the consultancy, brands seeking to join the portfolio also need certain prerequisites, such as a desire to expand, an owner's mindset, and a well-structured business foundation.

“Before closing a deal, we do a lot of research on the client, we look at their income statements, we see if what they want makes sense or not, and so on,” says Whitaker. “If it’s in our portfolio, it’s because it really makes sense with our strategy.”