Nobrand, a brand from the Portuguese footwear group Pedreira, based in the North of Portugal, has opened its first store in Colombia last month, during the Colombiamoda week.

The Portuguese group has elected Medellin as the home of their first store in the American continent. The new store is located at the Santa Fé shopping centre, considered by many as the best shopping place in Medellin. A total investment of 270 thousand euros, in partnership with a local distributor, which follows the great debut success of the Nobrand footwear in the country. In 2014 when the Portuguese brand first participated at the Colombiamoda event, it sold roughly 3 thousand pairs of shoes in just two weeks.

The new store in Medellín, which will work as a showroom for the brand allowing then to feel the pulse of the market is the first local investment by Nobrand, but an ambitious plan is in the making and should result in a new store to be opened in Bogota before the end of the year. Cali and Cartagena should follow. The flagship store now open will also work as a test for the global store concept. The idea is to replicate the store in other cities at a later stage.

Founded in 1988, Nobrand is an international brand with almost 1 300 points of sale. Europe continues to absorb the bulk of their production, but new markets are gaining importance. Outside the EU, China is becoming a winning bet, with the brand currently available in more than 30 countries and aiming to further expand.

The company employs 120 employees, producing an average of 2 500 pairs of shoes per day, and has an annual turnover of 65 million euros.