Magazine Luiza
Brazilian retail company operating physical stores, digital commerce and marketplace services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Magazine Luiza, commonly branded as Magalu, is a Brazilian retail company whose business combines a nationwide store network with e-commerce, marketplace and digital-service activities. It is one of Brazil's best-known general merchandise retailers and operates in a competitive sector that also includes large department-store, electronics and online-commerce groups such as GPA, Via and Lojas Americanas. The company began in 1957 in Franca, in the state of São Paulo, under the leadership of Pelegrino José Donato and Luiza Trajano Donato. Its early business developed as a conventional retail operation, selling household and consumer goods to Brazilian customers. Over time, the company expanded its store presence and built a recognizable mass-market retail identity around home-related products, appliances, electronics and other general merchandise. A significant technological turning point came in 1992, when Magazine Luiza introduced its first so-called virtual stores. These were physical outlets equipped with multimedia ordering kiosks. The format allowed customers to view and order products digitally even when the store did not carry the full range of inventory on site. The kiosks remained in use in some locations as late as 2019 and became an early example of the company's effort to connect physical retail with digital ordering. Magazine Luiza later pursued a broader digital transformation. Its retail model came to include an online store, mobile commerce, marketplace participation and digital tools intended to connect customers, sellers and logistics operations. The company also expanded beyond the direct sale of merchandise through acquisitions and investments in businesses related to online sales, technology content and advertising. In August 2020, it acquired Hubsales, a website focused on selling products directly to consumers; Canaltech, a technology and gadget review website; and InLoco Media, an advertising business using mobile-phone location data. Leadership continuity within the Trajano family has been an important feature of the company. Luiza Trajano has served as chairperson, while Frederico Trajano became chief executive in January 2016. Under Frederico Trajano, the company publicly emphasized digital retail, marketplace development and the integration of online and offline operations. Magazine Luiza has also attracted attention for workplace and social-policy initiatives. In November 2020, it announced that its trainee program would accept only Black Brazilian candidates. The company presented the measure as an attempt to address structural racism and the underrepresentation of Black Brazilians in professional advancement. The policy generated public discussion about affirmative action in corporate recruitment. Today, Magazine Luiza remains an active Brazilian retail brand with a hybrid operating model. Its customer proposition spans general merchandise sold through stores and digital channels, while its wider ecosystem includes marketplace, content and advertising capabilities. Its identity is therefore broader than that of a traditional department-store chain: it is both a physical retailer and a technology-enabled commerce platform focused primarily on the Brazilian market.
History
Magazine Luiza was established in 1957 in Franca, São Paulo, by Pelegrino José Donato and Luiza Trajano Donato. It developed as a Brazilian general-merchandise retailer, building a store-based business centered on consumer goods for the home and family. The company’s growth took place within Brazil’s highly competitive retail market, where department stores and appliance specialists serve customers through a mixture of physical locations, credit, logistics and increasingly digital channels. One of the company’s distinctive early innovations appeared in 1992, when it opened its first virtual stores. These were not online-only businesses in the modern sense. They were physical shops equipped with multimedia ordering kiosks, allowing customers to browse and order products that did not necessarily occupy shelf space in the store. This format connected the convenience of digital catalog browsing with the assistance and physical presence of a retail location. According to the available reference material, some of these kiosks were still being used in 2019. Magazine Luiza subsequently developed a more extensive digital-commerce operation. Its business came to include online retail and marketplace activities alongside its physical stores. The company’s digital strategy sought to bring together customers, third-party sellers, product discovery, payments and fulfillment rather than treating e-commerce as a separate business from the store network. This transition helped shape the Magalu identity as a broader commerce ecosystem rather than only a conventional department-store chain. Leadership during this period included members of the Trajano family. Luiza Trajano served as chairperson, and Frederico Trajano became CEO in January 2016. His tenure was associated with the company’s emphasis on digital transformation and the development of an integrated physical-and-digital retail model. The company broadened its technology and media capabilities through acquisitions announced in August 2020. Hubsales brought a direct-to-consumer sales capability; Canaltech added a technology and gadget review platform; and InLoco Media added digital advertising expertise based on mobile-phone location data. These transactions reflected an attempt to build supporting capabilities around the core retail operation, including customer acquisition, product information and advertising. Magazine Luiza also became part of a wider public debate about corporate diversity and affirmative action. In November 2020, it announced that its trainee program would be limited to Black Brazilians. The company described the decision as a response to structural racism and the marginalization of Black Brazilians in professional careers. The announcement was widely discussed because it made racial inclusion an explicit feature of a large corporate recruitment program. The company's present identity is built around a hybrid model: stores remain important customer and distribution touchpoints, while digital channels support product discovery, ordering, marketplace commerce and related services. Magazine Luiza continues to operate primarily in Brazil and is publicly traded on B3 under the ticker MGLU3. Its brand architecture uses both the formal name Magazine Luiza and the shorter Magalu identity.
- 2020
Digital ecosystem acquisitions
[1]The company acquires Hubsales, Canaltech and InLoco Media, adding direct-to-consumer commerce, technology content and digital advertising capabilities.
- 2020
Black-only trainee program announced
[1]Magazine Luiza announces a trainee program restricted to Black Brazilian applicants as an affirmative-action response to structural racism.
- 2016
Frederico Trajano becomes CEO
[1]Frederico Trajano assumes the company's chief executive role in January.
- 1992
First virtual stores launch
[1]Magazine Luiza introduces physical stores equipped with multimedia ordering kiosks, an early integration of store-based service and digital product ordering.
- 1957
Magazine Luiza is founded
[1]Pelegrino José Donato and Luiza Trajano Donato establish the retail company in Franca, São Paulo, Brazil.
Products and positioning
A Brazilian mass-market retailer combining stores, e-commerce, marketplace services and digital content. The brand positions itself around broad consumer-goods selection and the integration of online and offline shopping.
Retail category
Home appliances
A core merchandise category encompassing household appliances sold through Magazine Luiza's physical stores and digital channels. The category supports the company's long-standing general-merchandise and home-oriented retail positioning.
Retail category
Consumer electronics
Magazine Luiza sells consumer electronics through its stores and online commerce operation. The category includes technology-oriented products and is reinforced by the company's broader digital content and marketplace activities.
Retail category
Furniture and home goods
Furniture, kitchen items and other home-related merchandise form part of the retailer's general assortment. These products connect the company's physical-store heritage with its broad online catalog.
Digital commerce platform
Magalu marketplace
The marketplace extends Magazine Luiza beyond inventory directly sold by the company by connecting customers with third-party sellers through its digital commerce ecosystem.
Retail format · 1992
Virtual stores
Introduced in 1992, virtual stores used multimedia ordering kiosks inside physical outlets. The format allowed customers to access a wider product assortment than could be displayed in a conventional shop.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Black trainee program
Brazil
Magazine Luiza announced that its trainee program would accept only Black Brazilian candidates. The initiative was framed as a corporate response to structural racism and the underrepresentation of Black Brazilians in career advancement.
Outcome. The announcement generated substantial public discussion about affirmative action and racial inclusion in corporate recruitment.
Brand decisions
2020
Expansion through digital and media acquisitionsM&ABackground
Magazine Luiza sought to broaden its digital commerce ecosystem beyond the direct operation of stores and an online catalog.
Action taken
In August 2020, the company acquired Hubsales, Canaltech and InLoco Media.
Aftermath
The acquisitions added direct-to-consumer sales, technology and gadget content, and location-data-based digital advertising capabilities.
2020
Affirmative-action trainee recruitmentStrategyBackground
The company identified structural racism and the sidelining of Black Brazilians as issues affecting access to professional opportunities.
Action taken
Magazine Luiza announced that its trainee program would accept only Black Brazilian applicants.
Aftermath
The decision prompted public debate over corporate diversity policies and race-conscious recruitment in Brazil.
1992
Launch of virtual-store formatProduct launchBackground
The physical store format limited the amount of merchandise that could be displayed, while emerging multimedia tools offered a way to present a broader catalog.
Action taken
Magazine Luiza introduced physical outlets with multimedia ordering kiosks.
Aftermath
The kiosks became an early example of the company's integration of physical retail and digital ordering and reportedly remained in use in some locations through 2019.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Magazine Luiza signs solar energy supply deal with GreenYellow[2]
Reported:
Magazine Luiza signed an agreement with GreenYellow to supply solar energy to 214 of its stores. The agreement provides for 9,307.1 MWh of energy per year; delivery was expected to begin in 2021.
Sources2 sources
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