The sky’s the limit: From small shoe store to the biggest online sports retailer in Latin America. The story of Netshoes

The sky’s the limit: From small shoe store to the biggest online sports retailer in Latin America. The story of Netshoes

DISCOVER THE FOUNDERS’ SECRETS AND HOW THEY TURNED THE BUSINESS INTO THE LARGEST ONLINE SPORTS RETAILER IN THE WORLD. Those who enjoy a good story are sure to be captivated by this one, which tells the tale of two Armenian cousins, Marcio Kumruian and Hagop Chabab, who opened a shoe store on Maria Antonia Street in downtown São Paulo in 2000 and turned it into the largest online sports retailer in the world. Today, Netshoes generates an annual turnover of more than BR$2 billion and employees over two thousand members of staff. Netshoes pioneered the online sale of shoes in Brazil and has served as an exemplar for aspiring online retailers ever since. Their rise to the top, however, was anything but plain sailing. The book tells how the company migrated from a traditional retail business model to e-commerce and charts the successive challenges that the cousins had to overcome — from negotiating the purchase of an e-commerce platform with Americans, despite neither of them speaking English at the time, to the setting up of their first automated distribution center. Here you will also learn about some of the entrepreneurs’ mishaps, from the bankruptcy of their shopping mall store to the unsuccessful experience of Sambashoes, the company’s first attempt to conquer international markets (today, Netshoes operates in Argentina and Mexico). The influence of capital investment funds and the strict professionalization that followed is also central to this intriguing story of prosperity and progress. The fierce competition from outfits backed by private investment houses, the endeavor to make the business profitable, and a succession of organizational restructures designed to protect their market leadership all make the story of Netshoes a truly unique case in the realm of Brazilian e-commerce. It is a story of success sure to inspire many to roll up their sleeves and embark into the world of entrepreneurship.