The event relied on the participation of startups from Acate’s Vertical Varejo, sponsored by Almeida Junior group
Digital menus, virtual stores and marketplaces, big data, customer experience and strategic design. The technology future oriented to retail promotion was the theme of the entrepreneurs meeting at LIDE TALKS this Friday, 04/01, at Continente Shopping, a unit of the Almeida Junior group in Greater Florianópolis. The moment also had national speakers, who talked about topics related to the digital world innovation.
The event was promoted by LIDE – Group of Business Leaders and relied on a startups presentation from Acate’s Vertical Varejo (Santa Catarina Technology Association), sponsored by the Almeida Junior group. Constituted in 2019, the idea is to bring retailers closer, startups and large technology companies to accelerate the sector digitization, uniting retail with technology companies and creating market opportunities.
Six startups presented solutions in the meeting. Notato brought solutions for digital menus, DevPlans brought softwares for virtual stores and marketplaces, Stefanini Groups brought digital solutions to supervise all sales cycle, Bix presented initiatives involving big data and data analysis, Alana, marketing and customer experience strategies and Multiplana demonstrated services in strategic business management and strategic design.
Innovation with purpose
Exemples of innovation success that are already a success around the world opened this Friday’s meeting. Leandro Mattos, CEO at Cognisigns, world top five healthtech, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, talked about innovation for the new Economy and Victor Gonçalves, CDO at Verity discussed strategies to accelerate companies in the digital world.
Cognisigns was founded in Santa Catarina, works in the mental health segment and has developed technology to accelerate and democratize access to autism diagnosis. Leandro Mattos defined an innovation hub as “a group with lots of people who believe they can change the world”. And he advocated for the importance of a massive transformative purpose to mobilize people beyond corporate gates. “Only the purpose won’t be enough, but many times, that’s the difference between a startup that will succeed from the one that won’t. The purpose can also grow exponentially.”
Victor Gonçalves from Verify, talked about the challenge to create a value focused on the customer, investigating what do they need and what do they want. “In the digital world, the main mission of a company is to create a customer. To find, educate and enchant,” he said. The digital market specialist highlighted the speed on business transformations and advocated that it is good to be a large company, but small and medium-sized companies are able to change ways faster. “It’s expensive to change, but denying costs everything”, he concluded.
Result is driven by the dominance of the chain’s units in Santa Catarina
In the year 2021 there was growth for the six malls of the Almeida Junior group. Compared to 2020, the sales increased by 33,8%. Sales in the last three months of 2021 recorded a historic quarterly record for the company, with an increase of 24.0% over the same period in 2020 and 11.9% over 2019. “Such growth is very important to register the exceptional performance of our malls compared to the pre-pandemic period. In general, the sector expects this recovery in 2022, but we are one year ahead of time, which also proves the dominance of our assets and assertiveness in the growth strategy focused on Santa Catarina, the Switzerland of the South, with 71% of market share in the sector,” explains Jaimes Almeida Junior, Almeida Junior founder and CEO.
Almeida Junior shows a significant growth in the sector’s main metrics as well, operating even at better levels than the same pre-pandemic period. SSR (Same Store Rent) showed a growth in 2021 of 21.9%, when compared to 2019. Compared to 2020, there was an increase of 33.2%. The positive performance of rents is the result of factors such as the acceleration of the IGPM in the period, a substantial decrease in discounts granted, and a better qualification of the mix. The CEO points out that, even with the readjustment, Almeida Junior’s malls have the lowest occupancy cost for store owners among publicly traded companies, closing at 10.2% in 2021. Same Store Sales (SSS), on the other hand, grew by 29.9% in 2021 compared to 2020. Almeida Junior ended 2021 with a 94.5% occupancy rate, with a quality tenant mix higher than the pre-pandemic period.
The good results were recorded in all six units of the group, which brought novelties in the mix of their operations throughout the year. “All these movements prove the differential of the developments, as well as since the second quarter of 2021, we have observed a material growth in tenant flow and sales. Almeida Junior has shown enormous resilience during the pandemic with its financial results, which leads us to feel extremely positive about 2022 and the future of the company,” adds Jaimes Almeida Junior.
Almeida Junior has 225 thousand square meters of GLA (Gross Leasable Area) and has a “brownfield” growth strategy for its six shopping centers, with the potential to increase its current GLA to 273 thousand square meters and further increase its market share in Santa Catarina. Balneário Shopping, a mall in Balneário Camboriú, is at 100% occupancy rate and has already had its expansion permit issued to reach 58 thousand square meters of GLA. Neumarkt Shopping in Blumenau, with 99% occupancy, also has its expansion project concluded and the other four malls will be expanded in sequence.
In November 2021, the group obtained its registration as a publicly traded company by Real Estate Securities Commission (CVM – Comissão de Valores Imobiliários), an important milestone for Almeida Junior. “We are confident and without haste, observing the market, analyzing opportunities, and waiting for the best moment to make our IPO,” says the CEO.
Concerned with providing a more sustainable and inclusive lifestyle for future generations, the Almeida Junior Group is committed to carrying out sustainable, social and governance actions that ensure the well-being of the communities where its units are located. Donation campaigns, use of sustainable technologies, adoption of practices that encourage the improvement of the environment and quality of life are part of the daily routine of the company’s six malls: Neumarkt and Norte Shopping (Blumenau), Balneário Shopping (Balneário Camboriú), Garten Shopping (Joinville), Continente Shopping (Greater Florianópolis) and Nações Shopping (Criciúma).
Focusing on the implementation of ESG rules (Environmental, social and corporate governance), the Almeida Junior Group included effective actions in its business plan. And it will continue to increase its commitment with these practices, as it believes that it has a strong active role in building a better future for the next generations. Check below the main actions of the Almeida Junior group:
Sustainability
Focusing on the pillar of sustainability, the shopping centers of the group recycle around 50 tons per month, including cardboard, paper, plastics, metallic items and vegetable oil, with a certificate of destination so that these wastes are well received by the processing.
The Shopping centers also have 100% replacement of mercury lamps with LEDs, in addition to rainwater harvesting and the elimination of litter bins in the toilets, which are already a reality for the company’s projects, aware of their own role in preserving the planet.
The Group Almeida Junior already had chargers for electric cars a few years ago. But, in 2021, the company made a partnership with Porsche Brazil and installed new charging stations for electric vehicles to increase the electric corridor in the state. Free of charge, visitors can recharge their cars peacefully, while enjoying the services offered by the group’s malls, such as a food court, cinema and stores. The stations are compatible with all electric or plug-in hybrid car models that have a Type 2 charging standard.
In addition, in order to care for nature and preserve the environment, the group has vivariums to replant the plants that decorate the malls. In this way, they receive all the due care to return to their vivacity and natural beauty.
Social
In the social scope, one of the most successful projects is the Bazar Influenciadores do Bem (Good Influencers Bazaar), In 2019, the Garten Shopping, in Joinville, collected more than 5 thousand pieces of clothing during the action, which resulted in about R$73 thousand reverted to Fundação Pró-Rim. The campaign is an example of the social responsibility that the Almeida Junior Group has to improve the quality of life of the region’s residents.
The Loja Vazia (Empty Store) action, which integrates the chain’s six shopping centers, collected more than 5,000 items to fill the shelves for those in need. The same happened with the Árvore dos Sonhos (Tree of Dreams) project, which, in one month, provided a more magical and colorful Christmas for 1,500 children and 150 elderly people. Pets are also not left out: Every month, adoption fairs take place in the parking lots of the malls, in partnership with animal protection institutions and NGOs that aim to guarantee a home for the pets.
In April 2021, Balneário Shopping mobilized volunteers to carry out the Integrated Action for Cleaning Rio Camboriú, which aimed to raise awareness of pollution problems, in addition to promoting the cleaning of the river that passes through the cities of Balneário Camboriú and Camboriú.
Also in 2021, the Almeida Junior Group promoted the training and qualification of employees to care for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition, all Almeida Junior malls have exclusive parking spaces for autistic people. The initiative is the first in Santa Catarina and reinforces the group’s commitment to welcoming and providing the best service.
Other social responsibility initiatives have also been adopted by the Almeida Junior Group – organ donation, vaccination, combating glaucoma, seminars for female emancipation, pink October and blue November are some of the topics covered by awareness campaigns throughout the shopping center networks.
Corporate governance
Focused on the Governance pillar, the Almeida Junior group is a reference in the state of Santa Catarina and is committed to its more than 1,000 direct employees, based on ESG premises. Among the actions are AJ Cuida (AJ takes care), AJ Cresce (AJ grows), AJ Apoia (AJ supports), AJ Soma (AJ adds up):
AJ Cuida involves taking care of the human assets of the group and aims to look at employees, understand the needs of the community, build customer loyalty and work in partnership with suppliers and shopkeepers.
The AJ Cresce action is a program that addresses aspects to directly influence the capacity of human assets, contributing and inspiring personal and professional growth. It offers teaching-learning opportunities, develops high-performance teams and partners, protagonists in challenging practices that deal with business and market dynamics.
AJ Apoia, on the other hand, carries out a transformation in the cities and regions where the group’s units are located, with socioeconomic development. It seeks to create opportunities that change people’s lives, generating actions that benefit the community in situations of vulnerability, with the support of social entities, NGOs, suppliers, shopkeepers and employees, through social responsibility initiatives. Therefore, it aims to make a positive impact through collaborative work.
At last, but not least, the group understands the importance of diversity and inclusion in the company and through the AJ Soma action, which seeks to encourage diversity in all layers of the company, equality of opportunity between the different profiles of professionals and an exclusive environment in all sphere of the company’s relationship, therefore being an agent of transformation in society.
