hace more than a mThe Casas brothers, Mario and Óscar, were seen walking through the country’s capital, the reason for their presence in Colombia It was on the occasion of the launch of the ‘Spring Summer 2024’ collection of the newly arrived European brand Scalpers.
About this and the projections of the fashion company in the country, Alan Bursztyn, CEO of Scalpers Colombia and Peru, spoke in an interview.
How many points of sale does the brand have in the world?
Scalpers already has more than 500 points of sale in the world, it is a brand that has grown by double digits in the last five years. On the Colombian side, we arrived at the end of last year: We open in Gran Estación, Unicentro and El Retiro. In February we also set up the website.
What type of brand is Scalpers? What audience does it target?
With the launch together with the Casas brothers we were able to show that it is not only a men’s brand, since 40% of international sales are for women; and in Colombia that figure is already 32%. Younger people are buying from us, between 20 and 40 years old. So it is for people who look for quality in their clothes at affordable prices; It is a sophisticated brand.
What did you analyze to determine that the brand could work in markets like these?
We analyzed our competitors, and established that we are a brand with a quality very similar to that of Whitman, but with a lower price than Massimo Dutti. Colombia is such a good market that starting in the middle of the year, Scalpers will produce exclusive garments for Latin America. In addition, we will seek to produce branded clothing in Colombia by 2025.
Since your arrival in December, how has the Colombian consumer behaved?
Regarding consumer behavior, 62% of customers in Colombia have already bought from us more than once. After men’s shirts, the second best-selling product is tennis shoes for going out.
How important is Colombia as a market?
A lot. We project that after Mexico Colombia will be the second market for Scalpers in the region. By 2030, Colombia will be a market with US$15 million in sales for Scalpers.
What is the projection you have to compete here?
We have a projection of 25 stores in six years. We don’t see much competition for us, since we don’t reach Bimba y Lola or Purificación García prices; So we are in an empty space between Colombian and international brands; But, if one day tariffs are lowered, we can be much more competitive.
Although they arrived a few months ago, are you already contemplating expansion plans in the country?
Yes. Very soon we are going to open points in Cartagena, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Medellín. And in Bogotá we need to open three more stores in the next six years.
