The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Latin America’s largest e-commerce platform, Mercado Libre, reported net revenue of $1.9 billion for its third quarter, representing a year-on-year increase of 72.9 percent compared to the same period in 2020, according to its latest financial report.
The company, which was founded in Buenos Aires in 1999, reported its active user base grew 3.4 percent year-on-year, to 78.7 million.
The e-commerce giant’s main markets all showed strong growth. From July to September, Mercado Libre’s local currency revenue grew by 74 percent in Brazil, 94 percent in Mexico, and 38 percent in Argentina versus the same period in 2020. The e-tailer operates in 18 countries across the region.
The company reported revenue from e-commerce increased by 69 percent compared to the third quarter of 2020, reaching $1.2 billion. Its fintech arm also reported a 61.7 percent increase in revenue, reaching $632.8 million for the same period.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chief financial officer, Pedro Arnt, told analysts in a post-earnings call that growth was fuelled by a continued increase in their e-commerce user base.
“We’re seeing higher levels of new buyers coming to our platform compared to the periods before the pandemic,” he said.
Learn more:
Mercado Libre to Invest $740 Million in Brazil
Mercado Libre will invest $740 million in Brazil, in part to enhance logistics and operations. The move is expected to generate 5,000 jobs in the state of São Paulo and employ a further 2,000 in other parts of the country by the end of 2021.
Though e-commerce reshaped retailing in the US and Europe even before the pandemic, a confluence of economic, financial and logistical circumstance kept the South American nation insulated from the trend until later.
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Korean shopping app Ably, Kenya’s second-hand clothing trade and the EU’s bid to curb forced labour in Chinese cotton.
From Viviano Sue to Soshi Otsuki, a new generation of Tokyo-based designers are preparing to make their international breakthrough.
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Latin American mall giants, Nigerian craft entrepreneurs and the mixed picture of China’s luxury market.