Vulcabras S.A. (Brazil)

Vulcabras S.A. is a Brazilian footwear company that has been operating in the industry for 70 years. It is the largest sports footwear industry in the country and manages leading brands in their respective segments: Olympikus, a national champion in tennis sales; Under Armour, one of the world's largest brands of sportswear, footwear, and accessories; and Mizuno, a performance brand that believes in the value of sports and supports the journey of all individuals, regardless of their level or type of sport. The company was founded in July 1952 as the Companhia Industrial Brasileira de Calçados Vulcanizados S.A. in São Paulo. It initially manufactured leather shoes with vulcanized rubber soles and one of its first iconic products was the Vulcabras 752, named after the month and year of the company's foundation. In 1973, the company started producing sports brands in Brazil and has since specialized in delivering technology in footwear for the democratization of sports performance. Vulcabras' footwear products are available in stores throughout Brazil, with a wide commercial team serving over 10,000 customers nationwide and in South American countries, as well as through e-commerce and brand-owned stores. The company designs and develops over 800 new models per year at its technology and development center for sports footwear, located in Parobé, Rio Grande do Sul, the largest in Latin America. The products are manufactured in two modern factories located in the Northeast region of Brazil, in Horizonte/CE and Itapetinga/BA. The company's administrative center is located in Jundiaí, São Paulo, and it also has a logistics distribution center for e-commerce in Extrema, Minas Gerais. Additionally, there is a branch with a distribution center in Peru. These five units employ over 17,000 employees. Vulcabras follows a strategy of portfolio diversification, constantly seeking innovation and improvement.