“La Petisquera,” the well-established South American travel retailer founded by the Mannah family in 1970, is entering the Brazilian border duty free business in Foz do Iguaçu. The company has a long history of successful operations in Paraguay, in Ciudad del Este with border and airport shops, and currently operates four downtown stores in the city. The Mannah Group also operated the Departures and Arrivals Duty Free Shops at the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asuncion for several years.
Under the brand “La Petisquera Duty Free do Brasil,” the new duty free shop will begin operations with an 1870sqm (20,000 sq. feet) exclusive shopping precinct within the Dreams Park Entertainment Center in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu. It is expected to go live early in the second quarter of 2024, offering all core duty free categories to cater to tourists mainly from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and their families.
Dreams Park, located on the main highway from the city of Foz do Iguaçu to the city’s airport, opened a little more than a year ago. La Petisquera will anchor the new retail section of the project. The Park is being developed as a major tourist destination in the region with a wide range of entertainment activities, which include a 5-Star Hotel, Wax Museum, Dinosaur Theme Park and an extensive range of food and beverage outlets including a Harley Davidson Restaurant & Bar and an Ice Bar to name just a few.
The Mannah Group’s Mohamad “Alejandro” Mannah, one of the founding members of the Ciudad del Este border shopping area, says that the Brazilian border shop regulations around the ‘Lojas Francas’ concept presents a significant opportunity for his company.
“Along with our partners, we are developing a world-class Duty Free environment in Foz do Iguaçu. This is one of the most important tourist and shopping destinations in Brazil, which is visited by several million travelers on an annual basis. People come here in cars, buses and planes from Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and beyond. Now in addition to great and varied tourist sites, we can give them a great shopping experience. We believe this is the next logical step towards the evolution of our company to become an even more significant player in the Duty Free / Travel Retail business in the region.”
The Mannah Group has formed a joint venture company with senior industry leaders to execute the project successfully. The joint-venture members are Sanlar Holding AG, founded by Carlo Bernasconi, a duty free industry veteran bringing expertise in shop design, merchandising, and international management standards. Pablo Lesme, a senior duty free and consumer business executive in the region, brings in depth knowledge of the local duty free market and will be responsible for the management of the company. The joint-venture is further joined by Mazenta Retail Private Limited, an emerging travel retail company from India, operating duty-paid shops in 10 Indian airports.
Mannah said, “The tourists who come to this region tend to be regional, but we are seeing more and more from North America, Europe and further away. Our team will make sure we will have the right product selection for all visitors.”
A spokesperson for Dreams Park commented, “We are pleased to have been able to find the perfect duty free partner for our ambitious plans to develop Dreams Park as the most exiting entertainment and amusement destination for visiting travelers in this highly popular tourist destination, Foz do Iguaçu. With ‘La Petisquera’ bringing the best brands and retail offers in an exciting shop environment, we believe Dreams Park will deliver an unparalleled shopping and entertainment experience.”
John Gallagher
