CNAE codes for clothing, footwear and apparel companies in Brazil
The main CNAE code for clothing stores in Brazil is 4781-4/00 – Comércio varejista de artigos do vestuário e acessórios (Retail of clothing and accessories). Shoe stores use 4782-2/01, garment makers 1412-6/01 and fashion wholesalers 4642-7/01. To prospect this segment, search codes 4781-4/00, 4782-2/01, 1412-6/01, 4642-7/01 as both primary and secondary CNAE, keep only active CNPJs, then filter by company size and city.
CNAE codes for clothing stores
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE and any number of secondary ones. These are the CNAE 2.3 subclasses most used by clothing stores:
| CNAE | Official description (pt) | English | When it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
4781-4/00 | Comércio varejista de artigos do vestuário e acessórios | Retail of clothing and accessories | Clothing stores and multi-brand boutiques |
4782-2/01 | Comércio varejista de calçados | Retail of footwear | Shoe stores |
1412-6/01 | Confecção de peças do vestuário, exceto roupas íntimas e as confeccionadas sob medida | Garment manufacturing, except underwear and made-to-measure | Garment makers and own brands |
4642-7/01 | Comércio atacadista de artigos do vestuário e acessórios, exceto profissionais e de segurança | Wholesale of clothing and accessories | Fashion wholesalers |
Search primary and secondary CNAE
Many clothing stores register their real activity as a secondary CNAE, because the CNPJ was opened under another primary activity or because they do more than one thing. Many clothing stores also sell footwear and accessories, and own brands combine manufacturing with retail. Filtering on the primary code alone misses part of the market.
Who sells to clothing stores
Fashion retail is one of Brazil's largest segments by number of active companies, buying from many suppliers across collections.
- Fashion, footwear and accessories brands and sales reps
- POS, inventory and e-commerce systems
- Card machines, credit and payments
- Marketing agencies and Instagram content
- Packaging, labels and hangers
How to build a list of clothing stores in Brazil
- Pick the codes: start with
4781-4/00and add4782-2/01,1412-6/01,4642-7/01depending on what you sell. - Search them as primary and secondary CNAE.
- Keep only active registrations (situação cadastral ativa) to drop unfit, suspended or closed CNPJs.
- Narrow by location (state, city, neighborhood) and company size (MEI, ME, EPP, other). ME and EPP stores with physical locations are the core audience; many MEIs sell only online or at fairs.
- Keep companies with contact data (email or phone) and save the filter as a reusable segment.
- Write a segment-specific opener and track replies in a pipeline.
1Lead runs all of these filters in one search over Brazil's public company registry, and its AI suggests adjacent CNAE codes from a plain-language description such as "I represent a women's fashion brand and want multi-brand stores in Minas Gerais". The product interface is in Portuguese.
Qualification signals
- Recently opened store: building its brand mix.
- Branches: a regional chain buying in volume.
- Collection calendar: stores buy summer and winter months in advance.
How to approach this segment
Fashion retailers decide on turnover, margin and terms. Show the collection, first-order terms and fast restocking, and use WhatsApp with photos.
Example first message (in Portuguese, with translation)
Frequently asked questions
What is the CNAE code for a clothing store in Brazil?
4781-4/00, retail of clothing and accessories.
What is the CNAE code for a shoe store?
4782-2/01, retail of footwear.
Where is the official CNAE table?
IBGE publishes it in the CONCLA online search, with the full hierarchy (section, division, group, class, subclass) and notes on what each code includes and excludes.