Neutral under new ownership looks ahead with confidence One of the most important news stories in Latin America in 2019 was when Panamanian company Top Brands International acquired Neutral Duty Free, the largest duty free chain in Uruguay, that July. The acquisition made Top Brands one of the largest duty free players in the region, […]
With tourism essentially shut down, WEBB Banks’ focus on the Caribbean local markets during the coronavirus pandemic has helped propel the leading wine and spirits distribution company to a stronger position than it was in a year ago, says WEBB Banks CEO Andy Consuegra. TMI met recently with Consuegra; Phillip Jarrell, Vice President, Marketing & […]
As international tourism dried up MONARQ Group shifted its focus to digital marketing, social media and e-commerce, Managing Director Robert de Monchy tells TMI. To promote its brands on social media, the independent premium wine and spirits distributor launched MONARQ’s Social Club early on during the pandemic with overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants. The company […]
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP) has partnered with The Design Solution to redesign Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport. GAP, which says it wants to create the “best airport in Mexico” at its home base in Guadalajara, plans to invest 10 billion Pesos (US$504m) by 2026. The plan includes an additional runway and new […]
Lancôme Travel Retail Americas and Dufry have partnered to open Lancôme’s biggest flagship in South America. The 43sqm store opened at the international departures area of Terminal 3 of São Paulo International Airport (GRU Airport) on January 31, 2021. Lancôme’s new flagship features numerous eye-catching screens and embraces the values of the brand – joy, […]
Latin American duty free association ASUTIL is among the first of the regional associations to partner with Swiss research agency m1nd-set to adopt m1nd-set’s recovery monitor and share insights with its members. mind-set is supporting the industry’s return to growth with traffic and shopping behavior insights from its data tool Business 1ntelligence Service (B1S). According […]
The Argentine Government has extended the airport management concession contract held by Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 (AA2000) by 10 years, until 2038. The current contract was due to expire in 2028, and the extension follows a recommendation by ORSNA, the Government control-led airports regulator. AA2000 has agreed to invest a minimum of US$2.5bn during the remaining […]
South American Duty Free Association, ASUTIL, and CEFSU, the Chamber of Uruguayan Free Shops, held a two-day virtual conference on Nov. 24-25, that examined new opportunities arising from the opening of duty free shops on the Brazilian border, during which government officials unveiled increased duty free allowances and details of new store openings. Originally planned […]
Border store openings in Brazil slowed down towards the end of 2019 when the Brazilian economy stagnated and did not advance in line with expectations. The pandemic clearly made the situation much worse for all operators and business was non-existent during the second quarter of this year. As of the beginning of the third quarter, […]
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Latin America at the end of February this year. Initially, cases were few and far between and the speedy introduction of lockdowns and border closings by most governments helped control the spread of the virus. But in the second quarter of the year Brazil swiftly became one of the worst […]
South American Duty Free Association ASUTIL (Asociación Sudamericana de Tiendas Libres) has been working diligently on a number of issues critical to the industry in South America, in addition to its efforts to help com-bat the results of the travel halt from COVID-19. ASUTIL Secretary General José Luis Donagaray informed media that the Association has been […]
In spite of closed borders throughout Latin America, several duty free stores are continuing to operate on the Uruguay – Brazil border. The stores on the Uruguayan side of the border are looking after the shopping needs of their Brazilian customers, who reside in neighboring twin towns immediately adjacent to their Uruguayan border. The depressed […]
Speakers at the latest monthly webinar hosted by South American Duty Free Association ASUTIL continued to paint a dire picture of the travel industry in Latin America and the impact of COVID-19, with forecasts of air traffic for the full year predicted to be down more than 50%. But ASUTIL Secretary General José Luis Donagaray […]
Grupo Aeromexico SAB, Mexico’s second-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy in the U.S., the fourth Latin American carrier to seek the Court’s protection after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a severe downturn in travel, reports Bloomberg. In a message on the Aeromexico website, CEO Andrés Conesa said: “We have initiated a voluntary procedure to implement a financial restructuring […]
In its June 25th coronavirus update report by Becca Rowland, OAG Aviation World-wide points out that while aviation is “reeling” around the world, South America’s carriers are not receiving the significant government support that North America and Europe have seen for airlines. This will be an important factor in how the industry on these continents will emerge from the […]
