Duty Free Americas has won a 10-year contract to operate its first airport duty free concession in Brazil at Afonso Pena International Airport in Curitiba.

 

Although this is DFA’s first airport contract won in Brazil, many of DFA’s biggest assets and strongest sales performances hail from South America.

 

Business continues to open up in LatAm for DFA, calling for additional stores in Chile’s Iquique. “In Chile we’ve opened up three stores – including in Iquique – as business is booming there…we expect a lot of growth from the region,” Leon Falic told TRBusiness earlier this year.

 

The Afonso contract will commence in February 2015 with an initial retail space of approximately 2,320 square feet in the arrivals terminal and approximately 400 square feet in the departures terminal. Both areas are expected to double in size when the redevelopment project at the airport is completed in 2016.

 

According to facts provided by DFA, Curitiba is the largest city in the Brazilian state of Paraná and the eighth most populous city in the country, with a population of over 3.2m in the metropolitan area.

 

L-R: Leon, Jerome and Simon Falic own Duty Free Americas.

 

Jerome Falic, Chief Executive Officer of Duty Free Americas, said of the Brazil airport win: “We are excited to expand our airport business to a new country, which reinforces our ambitions to further develop our brand on an international level.

 

“This venture will provide us with a solid platform to grow our business both in Brazil and other countries in the region. We are extremely pleased to partner with Afonso Pena International Airport to build an outstanding shopping experience that will set a new standard of airport retail in Brazil.

 

“Curitiba is considered to be the best location for investment in Brazil, and we look forward to the opportunity to be able to serve the more than two million tourists who visit each year.”

 

Antonio Pallu, the Superintendente of Afonso Pena International Airport, welcomes Duty Free Americas to it first airport in Brazil: “We are working hard to offer an improved travel experience to our customers at Afonso Pena International Airport,” he says.  “The concepts that are being developed by Duty Free Americas for the airport will positively impact on that experience.”

 

As well as airports in the region, stores along the border of Brazil and Uruguay are still a major focus for DFA. As previously reported by TRBusiness Americas correspondent, John Gallagher, DFA Uruguay and property developer Garbarino Lombardo are jointly backing the construction of a new $40m shopping mall.

 

This will be located adjacent to the Mauá Bridge linking the Brazilian border town of Yaguaron with Río Branco and – according to the current plan – DFA-Uruguay will occupy the 4,000sq m anchor store, which is expected to open its doors in the middle of 2015.