Internationalisation process of Portuguese companies in the fashion sector in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to study the process of internationalisation of Portuguese companies in the fashion sector in the United Kingdom. After a literature review on the internationalisation of companies and a characterisation of this sector in Portugal, four case studies of Portuguese companies in this sector and exporting to the British market are presented and analysed, namely A. Ferreira e Filhos, SA, Tri-wool, SA, Coisas do Algodão, SA and the brand Lemon Jelly. These case studies were built on the basis of interviews with top managers of these companies following a script prepared beforehand for this purpose. With these interviews we sought to obtain information on the characterisation of companies, their internationalisation process, specifying the case of the UK market, the difficulties they may have had and the role of AICEP in this process. Based on the analysis of these four case studies, it was possible to conclude that all companies consider international markets mandatory for their success as the domestic market is quite small. As far as the British market is concerned, when the various companies started exporting, they did not encounter difficult barriers to entry. However, since the entry into force of Brexit, they have more challenges to take their goods to this market, namely due to the costs of transportation and customs processes. As can be seen from the literature review, in these case studies it was possible to highlight the importance for the success of the internationalisation of factors such as the good reputation of the companies' own brand, the use of the possibilities of integration in international supply chains and the ability to adapt to the needs of customers in foreign markets, without forgetting some use of new marketing technologies such as e-commerce. As internationalisation is seen as fundamental for companies in the fashion sector and taking into account that it is an industry held in high regard by export markets, there are some organisations that support Portuguese companies in the internationalisation process, such as the case of AICEP. In the interviews carried out, it can be understood that this organisation is considered an important help, mainly for smaller companies that are starting this process and therefore need more information.

Date of Award	6 Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Américo Mendes (Supervisor)