Duty Free Americas has been awarded a 10-year contract to operate the duty free concession at Afonso Pena International Airport in Curitiba, Brazil.
The contract will commence in February 2015.
Initially, the retail space will consist of approximately 2,320 square feet in the arrivals terminal and approximately 400 square feet in the departures terminal. Both spaces are expected to double in size when the redevelopment project at the Airport is completed in 2016, says DFA.
The airport handles approximately 60,000 flights annually.
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 3.2 million in the metropolitan area.
Declared the greenest/eco-friendly city in the world in 2013, Curitiba is also the fourth richest city in Brazil, after only São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and the capital Brasilia.
Jerome Falic, Chief Executive Officer of Duty Free Americas, comments: “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.
“We look forward to the opportunity to be able to serve the more than two million tourists who visit each year,” Falic adds.
Antonio Pallu, Superintendente of Afonso Pena International Airport, welcomes Duty Free Americas to its 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.”
DFA has operations throughout North, South and Central America, as well as in Israel and Macao.
Dufry extends duration of call/put option in Brazil
In other Brazil airport news, Dufry announced that it has signed an extension until February 2015 on the call/put option to buy 20% of the equity of Dufry Lojas Francas (DLF) in Brazil. DLF is Dufry’s operating entity for new duty free businesses in Brazil, which includes the duty free operations at Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo.
