Abdul Waked, the head of leading Latin American duty free operator Grupo Wisa, has always loved luxury goods. Hailed as a visionary, Waked’s original La Riviera stores in the 1990’s transformed the way fragrances and cosmetics were sold in much of Central America and introduced the concept of perfumeries in Panama. In La Riviera, top-name […]
Panama
Duty Free Americas marches South and onward
Who would have imagined how prophetic the name Duty Free Americas would be when the Falic Group bought the company from BAA back in 2001? At that time it was the largest duty free operator in North America, with stores in airports and along the northern U.S. border with Canada and the Southern border with […]
Abdul Waked named Businessman of the Year in Panama as first phase of $350 million Soho Complex is set to open
Central American magazine El Economista has named Abdul Waked as Panama’s Businessman of the Year. The award, announced February 20 in the Jan/Feb issue of the magazine, acknowledges the success of Grupo Wisa’s retailing activities in 14 countries across Central and South America; and recognizes the development of the $350m Soho Complex in downtown Panama […]