Network from the interior arrives at the mall in the great center
The Minuto Varejo column has followed the trajectory of Cadiles, a shoe chain native to the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, since 2018. That is, before the column even existed. THE Jornal do Comércio met Valdir Neuhaus and son Lucas when the duo went to the NRF Retai’ls Big Show in New York, in the entourage led by Sebrae-RS.
Lucas, 18 years old at the time, had gone with his father to check out the news at the biggest innovation fair in the sector in the world and retailers that dictated trends in the city. The young man returned to Ijuí, Cadiles’ headquarters, and started to change everything, with his father’s approval, of course.
“We decided to do a different game. We reverted from shoemaking in general to sports lines”, says Lucas, in January 2023, aged 23, graduated in Administration and after returning from another NRF. The family, with six stores in Ijuí, Santo Ângelo, Santa Rosa and Horizontina, will take the biggest step in history.
At the beginning of March, Cadiles wins its first operation in a large center in Rio Grande do Sul and in a shopping mall. It will be at ParkShopping Canoas, in the second largest economy in Rio Grande do Sul. The branch with 180 square meters of sales area involves an investment of between R$ 900,000 and R$ 1 million and will have new technologies, such as totems for accessing products and connecting with the stock of other units, accelerating omnichannel.
“People (from the interior) do not expect this movement, which is to leave the interior for a shopping center belonging to the Multiplan group, one of the largest in the country. But retail lives on innovation, and without the movement of the owner, manager and team, they do not live well” , translates Luke. The phrase carries actions that have been carried out for five years. One of the pillars was to inject technology, look for big brands and form the company’s culture with people, which starts with recruiting, he says. Working with big brands has an advantage in terms of volume and prestige. “Today we are Nike’s number 1 customer in the state”, boasts Lucas. In revenue, the evolution came in the average ticket, which went from R$ 200.00 to R$ 350.00.
And the escalation of the network will not stop there. Stepping with Nike, Adidas and Fila models close to Porto Alegre opens up a new moment.
“Let’s start with the franchise. The Canoas store will be a reference, it will attract people from other states”, he bets.
“We already have everything closed, cost spreadsheet, format, we want to enter cities between 100,000 and 200,000 inhabitants. We can have 17 stores in the State and then we will go abroad. There are already shopkeepers interested in Passo Fundo and in the Capital”, he warns .
The goal is to have 60 to 100 physical units in five years. One idea is to attract shoe retailers who want to convert the flag, accessing the Cadiles model. Each franchise must involve an investment of R$ 400,000 to R$ 600,000, with inventory.
“With the system that we are going to implement, it is possible for the stores to meet the demand. In addition, Nike will supply whatever we don’t have with its stock”, mentions Lucas.
This operation will be commanded from the marketplace that the chain will launch in February. For this, it forms another R$ 600 thousand in resources. “We work with our own resources, reinvesting what we have earned in the business”, explains Valdir’s son, who is currently in finance, and Elenira.
“Retail is increasingly specialist”, said Lucas, last Wednesday, to the packed audience at the Unisinos theater, when he and two other small entrepreneurs took the stage of the Post-NRF, promoted by CDL Porto Alegre. “We have everything very well aligned, we know what we want, we have a market, we need to put this into motion”.
