By Andre Romani
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Chinese online fast-fashion retailer Shein plans to start shipping the products it makes in Brazil to other markets in Latin America in 2026, its Brazilian production director Fabiana Magalhaes said.
The firm started manufacturing clothes in Brazil earlier this year, its first production center outside China. It aims to have 85% of its sales in Brazil, including sales by vendors on Shein's marketplace, produced locally by 2026.
"The idea is that by 2026 Brazil will be ready to serve Latin America," Magalhaes told reporters on Wednesday at an event at Shein's Sao Paulo office.
"We've already been doing some internal studies to make these exports happen," she added.
She did not specify which Latin American countries Shein could ship products to from Brazil.
Shein, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Chris Xu, has grown into one of the world's largest online fashion marketplaces since its 2008 launch in Nanjing and sells products in more than 150 countries.
Brazil is one of its five main markets and the largest in Latin America, the company said.
In April, Shein announced investments of 750 million reais ($148 million) over the next few years in Brazil to establish a network of manufacturers.
To date 336 partnerships have been signed, of which 213 are producing clothes across 12 Brazilian states, according to the company.
Initially, the company will focus on manufacturing products that allow it to maintain competitive prices in the country, a goal Shein reiterated on Wednesday, such as jeans and knitwear.
Other segments, such as shirts, should be tested, while a third group, such as winter clothes, are more difficult to produce locally, she said.
In addition to Brazil, the company started manufacturing in Turkey this year and plans to build a factory in Mexico.
($1 = 5.0593 reais)