Five stores of Sunshine Calçados e Confecções, owner of the Skechers footwear brand franchises in Brazil, were closed as a result of the conflict between the company and its franchisor that dragged to court. With only two units in operation, the company went from seven to two units in recent years.
In the midst of a judicial recovery, three units were closed in Brasília Park Shopping, in Brasília, in Amazonas Shopping, in Manaus, and in Campo Grande Shopping, in January. Now it was the turn of the operation at Conjunto Nacional, in Brasília, which ended on Sunday (8).
In 2025, a Skechers franchise maintained by the Sunshine Group in Goiânia had already closed its doors. The franchisee attributes losses of R$19.3 million to the relationship with the footwear brand, especially due to collection failures, supply failures and equality problems with other franchisees, judicial recovery documents show.
“As partners, we believe in the Skechers brand and, for 10 years, we did our part as customers and master investors of the brand in Brazil”, says the director of the Sunshine Group, Louder Mendes. He states that the company will seek legal compensation for all financial and operational losses, he says, caused by Skechers throughout the partnership.
In a statement, Skechers said that it “maintains a relationship based on respect, transparency and strict observance of contractual rules with all its licensees and commercial partners, valuing continuous dialogue as a pillar of its business model”.
“As this is an ongoing legal process, the company does not comment on the merits of the action by Sunshine Calçados e Confecções Ltda. and its developments”, he states.
Continues after advertising
Skechers opened its first store in Brazil in January, in Guarulhos, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. The unit of more than 300 square meters begins a strategy of having its own footwear operations in the country’s main markets.
“The opening of the first Skechers store in Brazil represents a relevant milestone in the brand’s trajectory in the country and reinforces the strategic nature of the Brazilian market, both due to its size and the local consumer’s strong affinity with products that combine comfort, technology and style”, says the company in a statement. Despite the inauguration and stating that future announcements are to come, the franchisee model remains a “fundamental part of Skechers’ operation in Brazil”.
In 2025, the manager 3G Capital, owned by Brazilian billionaires Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Beto Sicupira, purchased 80% of Skechers from the founding family. The conflicts reported by Sunshine and the company’s management in Brazil precede the deal that delists the company after a US$9.4 billion purchase.
