After Duty Free Americas (DFA) President, Leon Falic told TRBusiness in March that the company had won duty free and duty paid concessions at three new Brazilian airports, the company can now announce the opening of a 9,500sq ft travel retail store at São Paulo-Congonhas Airport.

 

At São Paulo-Congonhas Airport, which serves more than 18 million passengers per year, DFA will operate the store under a 10-year concession agreement with airports operator, Infraero, a Brazilian government corporation.

 

Duty Free Americas won a 10-year contract to operate its first airport duty free concession in Brazil at Afonso Pena International Airport in Curitiba in 2014; a milestone for the company who expressed ambitions to open in other Brazilian locations at the time.

 

“In Porto Alegre and Manaus we won duty free and duty paid concessions,” Leon Falic told TRBusiness in March. “Manaus is a huge city in North of Brazil. We won these in the last few months. São Paulo is obviously a duty paid contract.”

 

DFA has now opened up its own office in Rio where its regional buyers have taken up residence.

 

RESILIENT SPIRIT OF BRAZIL

São Paulo/Congonhas Airport is one of the three commercial airports serving São Paulo, Brazil, which served 18,134,768 (18.1m) in 2014.

 

 

This new store is one of 18 retail venues currently open or under construction by DFA throughout Brazil, including Manaus, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, and Maceió.

 

When completed, these points of sale will comprise approximately 45,000sq ft of duty free stores, luxury brand travel retail boutiques, and a chain of coffee shops, which will be serviced by DFA’s 40,000sq ft ‘state-of-the-art logistics facility’ located in Curitiba.

 

Jerome Falic, Chief Executive Officer of Duty Free Americas, commented: “The triumphant and resilient spirit of Brazil was just showcased to the world in the Olympics.

 

“DFA has been investing heavily in Brazil over the past few years – with stores in five different Brazilian states from Manaus in the north to Porto Alegre in the south, and employing hundreds of Brazilians – because we are confident in the country’s future potential growth.

 

“We are extremely pleased to partner with São Paulo-Congonhas Airport to build an outstanding shopping experience that will set a new standard for airport retail in Brazil, and we are honoured to be able to serve the airport’s 18+ million annual passengers.” Falic continued.

“This concession is an extension of our ambition to further develop the DFA brand on an international level. We are now the second largest travel retailer in Brazil.

 

“Through our Brazilian stores, together with our stores in Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Central America, and the Caribbean, we have achieved a solid platform in the region which will enable us to continue to grow our business throughout Latin America and beyond.”