Spreadshirt (http://www.spreadshirt.co.uk/), Europe's leading print-on-demand platform, hasaccelerated its international expansion this week with the acquisition of Brazilian e-commerce company Vitrinepix (http://www.vitrinepix.com.br/), which will now operate as a Spreadshirt subsidiary.
Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Vitrinepix is managed by Viviane Mendes, who founded the company in 2010 and has turned it into the online pioneer for print-on-demand clothing in the country. Thousands of national and international brands, designers and individuals currently offer more than 250,000 different designs on the platform to tens of thousands of users.
With this acquisition Spreadshirt continues to increase its market potential and reach in one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world. "Internationalisation and the opening up of new markets to our buyers and sellers is one of our central themes for 2014.” says Philip Rooke, CEO at Spreadshirt. “Our shop-partners operate globally. They have customers, clients and fans internationally, including Brazil. This acquisition will enable them to easily market their ideas into this growing and important market.”
The expansion into South America also follows recent success in the USA. For now, the site will continue to operate under the Vitrinepix brand and domain with Mendes running the operations. Mr. Rooke continues “We are delighted that Viviane Mendes will take the lead of our subsidiary in Brazil, she is an expert in marketing and business development. And with Vitrinepix under the Spreadshirt umbrella we have the benefit of a local partner with vast experience in the competitive Brazilian e-commerce market."
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world with approximately 100 million online users. One-third of the total population shops for textiles online. Brazil is also the leader in clothing purchases online within the Latin American market. The fashion and accessories segment rose from 26th to 1st in the top-selling e-commerce categories rankings within two years. The country’s e-commerce growth rates are anticipated to be around 15 percent per year.
General Manager Viviane Mendes adds: "This acquisition is very important not only for Vitrinepix’ growth, but also for consolidating the Brazilian print-on-demand market. With Spreadshirt we will expand our product portfolio, improve our IT-infrastructure, and open new possibilities to our partners. In the foreseeable future we will also make larger improvements to the production process. All orders from Brazil will be manufactured in Brazil. We are very pleased to have the leading e-commerce platform guiding us with its global expertise.”
Spreadshirt will continue to push its global expansion online too, with the launch of new top level domains in Canada and Australia, expected in the third quarter of 2014. The company delivers to its customers and on behalf of its sellers to 200 countries.
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About Spreadshirt
Spreadshirt is one of the world's leading e-commerce platforms for on-demand printing of clothing and accessories. Its customers (individuals, businesses, organisations and teams) can create, buy and sell their ideas on over 180 different products.
The business model includes four areas where sellers and customers can offer or buy a product: Create Your Own, Spreadshirt's and other online market places, white-label online stores and Spreadshirt's fulfilment technology. Spreadshirt’s more than 70,000 active sellers include companies such as Otto, Beck's & Doctors without Borders.
Spreadshirt is active in 18 markets and 10 languages and operates five production sites in Germany, Poland, the USA and Brazil. The company was founded in 2002 and, in 2013, achieved revenue of around 72 million Euros, printed about 3.3 million articles and sent them to more than 40 countries.
Yink, a large volume provider for individual textile and promotional printing is also part of the Spreadshirt family.
For more information about Spreadshirt, please contact PR Savvy
Kate Warwick / kate.warwick@prsavvy.co.uk / 078 1069 7282
Mayra Cunningham / mayra.cunningham@prsavvy.co.uk / 078 2525 1615
