Australian retailer Cotton On has opened its first store in São Paulo, Brazil, making it the 17th country of trade for the global value fashion brand.

Peter Johnson, CEO at Cotton On, said the opening marked another milestone for the business.

The opening of the Centre Norte marks the beginning for the Cotton On Group’s growth strategy into Latin America, with Brazil being the largest southern hemisphere market.

“The Centre Norte store in São Paulo received an overwhelmingly positive customer response, resulting in a record first day of trade for a new country launch. As the first Australian retailer to open independently in Brazil, this is an outstanding achievement for the Group.”

Jo Parker, global operations manager at Cotton On, has been leading the new store development team.

“The customers were really surprised about the quality of our product, our competitive pricing, our fashion styles and the fit.”

Parker said the brand awareness and engagement the store received on its opening weekend was impressive.

“People travelled from far and wide to visit the store, many of them had already heard about Cotton On. They were so happy to now have their very own Cotton On store in Brazil.

“We are excited about the opportunities this region presents and will continue to focus on Centre Norte’s performance over the coming months, before developing our plans to open more doors and engage the country’s 250 million shoppers,” said Johnson.