The new 1,870-square-meter border store will be located in Foz Do Iguaçu
La Petisquera, the well-established South American travel retailer founded by the Mannah family in 1970, is to enter the Brazilian border duty free business in Foz do Iguaçu.
The company has a long history of successful operations in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, with border and airport stores. Currently, the Mannah Group operates four downtown stores in the city. Previously, the Group operated the Departures and Arrivals Duty Free Shops at the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, for several years.
The Mannah Group, led by Mohamad “Alejandro” Mannah, one of the founding members of the Ciudad del Este border shopping area said, “The Brazilian border shop regulations around the 'Lojas Francas' concept presents a significant opportunity for our company and its partners to develop a world-class duty free environment in Foz do Iguaçu, one of the most important tourist and shopping destinations in Brazil, visited by several million travellers on an annual basis. People come here in cars, buses and planes from Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and beyond. Now, in addition to great and varied tourist sites, we can give them a great shopping experience. We believe this is the next logical step towards the evolution of our company to become an even more significant player in the duty free/travel retail business in the region."
Mannah Group has formed a joint venture company with senior industry leaders to execute the project. The joint venture members are: Sanlar Holding AG, founded by Carlo Bernasconi, a duty free industry veteran bringing expertise in shop design, merchandising, and international management standards. Pablo Lesme, a senior duty free and consumer business executive in the region, brings in-depth knowledge of the local duty free market and will be responsible for the management of the company. The joint venture is further joined by Mazenta Retail Private Limited, an emerging travel retail company from India, operating duty paid shops in 10 Indian airports.
Under the brand La Petisquera, the duty free shop will begin operations with an 1,870-square-meter exclusive shopping precinct within the Dreams Park Entertainment Center in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu and is expected to open in the early part of the second quarter of 2024, offering all core duty free categories to cater for tourists from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and their families. Mannah said, “The tourists who come to this region tend to be regional, but we are seeing increasingly more from North America, Europe and further away. Our team will make sure we will have the right product selection for all visitors.”
Dreams Park, is being developed as a major tourist destination in the region with a wide range of entertainment activities, which include a 5 Star Hotel, Wax Museum, Dinosaur Theme Park and an extensive range of food and beverage outlets including a Harley Davidson Restaurant & Bar and an Ice Bar to name just a few. The complex situated just outside of the town of Foz Do Iguaçu on the road to the town’s airport.
