Alpargatas Argentina, the country’s leading manufacturer, distributor and exporter of apparel and textiles, has announced it is investing $5.6 million over three years to reintroduce its flip-flop brand, Havaianas, to the Argentinian retail market.
As the local subsidiary of Brazilian footwear leader Alpargatas, the company plans to start off by first positioning the brand in several retail chains, then later move on to opening its own stores.
Although the Havaianas flip-flops are among the most popular shoes of their kind globally, at this time it’s virtually impossible to get a pair in Argentina. This is because, in 2009, restrictive governmental policies placed major obstructions on import. The first hurdle came in August of that year, when the government turned down an application by the Alpargatas group to import 7 million pairs of flip-flops.
Now, with a new government in place, better import policies and indication that they will sell well in the local market, the group is optimistic about relaunching the flip-flop brand in Argentina.
Alpargatas’ Argentinian subsidiary is based in Buenos Aires and operates seven manufacturing plants, while the international business of Alpargatas S.A., as well as in São Paulo and Buenos Aires, is also run from offices in New York; Madrid; Paris; London; and Bologna, Italy.
Last year, the São Paulo–based Alpargatas group sold in excess of 252 million Havaianas globally in the 116 countries where the brand is marketed. In the last fiscal year, Havaianas generated a total revenue of $1.4 billion.