URUGUAY. Duty Free Americas (DFA) Uruguay is planning a vast duty free complex, alongside a food court and other services, in the city of Río Branco on the border with Brazil. It is expected to open in Q1 2018, following a 16-18 month construction phase, which is well under way.
DFA Uruguay General Manager Andrés Mendelsohn told The Moodie Davitt Report: “We are constructing the Río Branco Shopping Centre Hotel & Bus Terminal in Río Branco city. There we will have a duty free shop of 10,000sq m, along with 11 commercial stores and a large food court and bus terminal.”
Key categories on offer in the store will include fashion and luxury goods, fragrances & cosmetics, electronics, homeware and food & beverage.
Mendelsohn said: “This venture is very important for Río Branco, because it is the closest point between Pelotas and Porto Alegre, two cities with a large population in the region. At the moment, Río Branco does not offer services for the tourists that visit. For that reason there is a great need to incorporate services [and] enhance the border.
“The purpose of the bus terminal will be to add more daily movements at the Shopping Center, keeping a flow of people throughout the week. In addition, a large food square will be open to the public.”
DFA’s Uruguayan network encompasses six locations: Chuy, Rivera, Artigas, Bella Unión, Aceguá and Río Branco. In addition to the new Río Branco project, the company plans to open a new store under its Macanudo brand name, in Rivera. The first Macanudo outlet opened in 2015 in Bella Unión.
Mendelsohn said that the business began to recover from a tough period in the second half of 2016, with Brazilians returning to the region in larger numbers.
*For more on DFA’s Uruguayan projects and an overview of the market, see Moodie Davitt Interactive for March/April, which will appear to coincide with the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas.
