The Cellshop group will inaugurate on April 8 in Foz do Iguaçu, the largest terrestrial Duty Free Shop in Brazil.
By Annie Grellmann and Thaynara Pagno
Cellshop will open its first store in Brazil, making it the largest Duty Free Shop on land in the country with 2400 m². And best of all, it will be located in Foz do Iguaçu, on Cataratas Avenue, within the Catuaí Palladium Shopping Center.
The news was shared by entrepreneur Jorbel Jacson Griebeler, founder of Cellshop. According to him, one reason for moving to Brazil is the current bureaucracy in Paraguay.
The closure of the border with Paraguay for months due to the pandemic also influenced the arrival of the business.
Who is Jorbel from Cellshop?
Jorbel comes from a humble background; his father was a mason and his mother a nursing assistant. He learned from his parents that honesty, hard work, and persistence lead to success. “That was the best thing they taught me, so in everything I do, I try to give my best,” he shares.
At 17, armed with the lessons from his parents, the young Brazilian crossed the Friendship International Bridge and was hired as a salesperson in a 30 m² store in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. There, he took his first step toward his dream of becoming a giant in the business world.
“Today, after 15 years, I can say we have one of the most important stores in Ciudad del Este in terms of credibility and recognition in Brazil and worldwide,” he proudly states.
Expectations are very high for the Duty Free Shop in Foz do Iguaçu due to its accessibility. And Jorbel isn’t stopping there; he wants to expand further into other Brazilian cities.
What will be sold in the largest terrestrial Free Shop in Brazil?
The store will sell almost all the products available at the Cellshop in Paraguay, with a quota of up to 300 dollars.
Jorbel anticipates that prices will be the same as in Paraguay or even cheaper.
The entrepreneur is also fighting for the quota to increase to 500 dollars, allowing for a greater variety of products to be sold.
Payment Methods
A good piece of news is that, unlike Paraguay, where Brazilians have to pay credit card fees like IOF, the Duty Free Cellshop will allow payments by credit card and will also offer installment plans up to 12 months with no interest.
Another benefit is that if you bring reais to purchase in cash, you will pay the commercial dollar, which has about a 20-point difference.
Over 25 million reais in investment
Jorbel shares that investments have exceeded 25 million reais in the city. To give an idea, during the construction phase, 250 people were involved with indirect employment contracts, including architecture firms, consulting, furniture factories, etc.
So far, the Brazilian Cellshop has signed 65 work contracts, and it is expected that up to 150 contracts will be signed over time as the business grows and succeeds.
“Paraguay will continue; the store in Brazil is here to add. There will definitely be significant publicity for shopping hubs, but Paraguay will not cease to exist and it’s not a threat to the country. Foz do Iguaçu is only set to grow,” Jorbel asserts.
The Beginning of Cellshop
In the early days, Cellshop was just an office in a mall, then transformed into a store, originally named Cell Motion, which is still the legal name of the company. Initially, they only sold mobile phone accessories, later expanding to GSM phones and then to a broader range of electronics. Five years ago, the group rebranded as Cellshop, a department store with over 250,000 items available.
