Business · Companies · 5 hrs ago
Shopee expands Brazilian delivery capacity by 60% and awaits medicine rules
Shopee opened four distribution centers in Brazil as it expands its delivery network.
The new sites are in Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Vitória and Blumenau, and the company also expanded its Piracicaba center.
Its order-processing capacity rose 60% in a year, with the new sites and expansion adding capacity for 2.4 million orders a day.
Shopee now has 30 distribution centers in Brazil, up from 16 a year ago, and competes with Amazon and Mercado Livre.
The expansion is aimed at handling strong year-end demand, including major promotional shopping days.
Shopee will wait for Anvisa to clarify medicine-sale rules before allowing pharmacies to sell medicines through its platform.
A law approved by Congress and signed this year permits medicine sales on marketplaces, but Anvisa is still preparing its own regulation.
Shopee says any medicine sales would be through third-party pharmacies, with direct delivery from the pharmacy to the customer.
Shopee opened four distribution centers in Brazil and expanded a facility in Piracicaba, increasing its order-processing capacity in the country by 60% over the past year.
The new centers are in Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Vitória and Blumenau.
The additions brought Shopee’s Brazilian distribution-center total to 30 and added capacity to process 2.4 million orders per day.
Shopee said it will wait for Brazil’s health regulator, Anvisa, to complete rules on medicine sales before allowing pharmacies to sell medicines on its platform.
The company said it wants more clarity on the legislation, while Mercado Livre began selling medicines in Brazil last month.
- Who
- Shopee, the e-commerce platform owned by Singapore-based Sea.
- What
- It opened four distribution centers and expanded its Piracicaba facility, raising its order-processing capacity by 60% in a year. It is waiting for Anvisa’s rules before allowing pharmacies to sell medicines on its platform.
- When
- The announcements were made on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
- Where
- Brazil, with new centers in Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Vitória and Blumenau, and an expanded facility in Piracicaba.
- Why
- Shopee said it is increasing capacity to handle a sharp rise in year-end demand. It is waiting for greater clarity on medicine-sale rules.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Shopee entered Brazil.
Shopee’s order-processing capacity in Brazil increased by 60% over the ensuing year.
Shopee launched its Turbo operation in São Paulo, promising delivery within four hours.
Brazil’s Congress approved a law authorizing medicine sales on marketplaces, and the law was sanctioned.
Mercado Livre began selling medicines in Brazil through its own pharmacy and third-party pharmacies.
Shopee announced four new distribution centers and an expansion in Piracicaba.
- Distribution centers
- 30 in Brazil, up from 16 a year earlier
- New locations
- Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Vitória and Blumenau
- Additional daily processing capacity
- 2.4 million orders
- Piracicaba facility
- Operational area tripled
- Local sellers
- More than 3 million on Shopee’s platform
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What people are saying
We are very focused on growing our capacity now to meet this significant increase in demand at the end of the year
We have been following the regulation closely, including in discussions with Anvisa, and we understand that we still need more clarity about this legislation before taking any action