World Environment Day: Almeida Junior reaches BRL 43.7 million in energy savings with sustainability actions

The six shopping malls of the group adopt measures to reduce energy and water consumption, for garbage recycling and plants recovery

The Almeida Junior group has sustainability actions as premises. In 2004, Neumarkt Shopping, in Blumenau, was the first to buy energy at auction, which represented lower consumption in the following year. Between 2016 and 2019, all six units of the group adhered to the use of LED light bulbs and also entered the free energy market. The result: in 2022 the group reached the mark of BRL 43.7 million in energy savings. There were BRL 37.7 million savings in the free energy market contracts and BRL 6 million with the use of LED lamps. The release of the balance takes place now in view of the proximity of the world environment day, celebrated this Sunday, June 5th.

The separation and recycling of waste produced in the network’s six shopping malls and rainwater harvesting are other examples of concrete sustainability actions at Almeida Junior. “The environmental issues are much more than a trend, than measures for the economy, it is a reality in our routine, it is a pillar of the company that, increasingly, is guided by the implementation of ESG rules (acronym for Environmental, Social, and Governance practices),” says CEO Jaimes Almeida Junior.

The use of sustainable technologies, the adoption of practices that encourage the improvement of the environment and quality of life are present in all six shopping malls: Neumarkt and Norte Shopping (Blumenau), Balneário Shopping (Balneário Camboriú), Garten Shopping (Joinville), Continente Shopping (Greater Florianópolis) and Nações Shopping (Criciúma). “Almeida Junior included effective ESG actions in its business plan. And it will continue to increase its commitment to the practices, as it believes that it has a strong active role in building a better future for the next generations”, adds the CEO.

Attentive to market trends, Almeida Junior has been operating in the free energy market for a long time. Based on short, medium and long-term energy consumption planning, a partnership is signed with traders to mediate with distributors, through bilateral contracts, with individually negotiated amounts, as well as contracted terms and volumes. Also in the energy area, all shopping malls have already replaced their metallic vapor and fluorescent lamps with LED models, which are more economical and less polluting. And the ceilings have skylights to facilitate the delivery of natural lighting and reduce energy consumption.

Almeida Junior also had electric car chargers a few years ago, through a partnership with BMW. In 2021, the company signed a new partnership, this time with Porsche Brazil, and installed new charging stations for electric vehicles to increase the state’s electric transmission corridor. Today, the six shopping malls add up to a total of 17 stations available. Free of charge, visitors can recharge their cars restfully, while enjoying the services offered by the company’s shopping malls, such as a food court, the movies and stores.

Waste Recycling and Water Saving

Each month, in the network’s six shopping malls, around 44.8 tons of cardboard and paper, nearly three tons of plastics and another 715 kilograms of metallic items are collected and sorted. Organic waste is removed by a specialized company that composts it.

In different units of the network, rainwater is also collected, directed to a cistern that feeds the bathrooms and supplies water for use in the gardens and for cleaning and also in the air conditioning system. And artesian aquifer is used to supply approximately 70% of the water need. And all units have smart faucets in the bathrooms, with sensors that release water only when the hands are under the faucet, which generates 60% savings compared to common equipment.

Almeida Junior shopping malls also have nurseries for replanting the plants that decorate the six units. Together, the nurseries of the six units total 400 square meters of area where ferns, lilies, orchids, aglaonemas, among other species are treated. In this way, they receive all the due care to return to their vivacity and natural beauty.

About Almeida Junior

The company was founded by entrepreneur Jaimes Almeida Junior and today is the largest company in the shopping malls segment in the South of the country. With six shopping malls in Santa Catarina, totaling 225 thousand square meters of GLA (Gross Leasable Area) and more than 1,500 stores, Almeida Junior has 71% market share in the state.

LIDE highlights the power and strength of women

The event was held at the Garten Shopping Mall and brought together business leaders

All women are able to occupy the spaces they want. This was the lesson left this morning during LIDE Mulher. Garten Shopping was the stage for the event, which was attended by around 150 leaders from Joinville and the region. LIDE Santa Catarina is the largest group of business leaders in the country and can be considered the largest ecosystem of networking, impact, reputation and business.

At the opening of the event, the president of LIDE Santa Catarina, Delton Batista explained that the idea of LIDE Mulher is to collaborate with society. “We want to create conditions for organizations to provide equal opportunities, thus having the ability to praise the position of women”, he declared. The president of LIDE Mulher, Carolina Linhares, added that the event is an opportunity to generate content, networking and business and that “it is time for women to stop believing that they are not capable of leading”.  

With the theme Elas por Elas [She for her, in free translation], the speakers moved the audience by reporting their paths. Civil Police delegate Tania Harada talked about the beginning of her career and the challenges she had to face in the police world where most of them are men. She reported that only with a lot of stubbornness and courage she managed to conquer and occupy the most important position in the Civil Police of Joinville. “The space is available and we need to take our place,” said the former regional delegate from the largest city in the state.

The courage, resilience and determination since childhood made journalist Rejane Gambin accept the challenge of occupying the position of deputy mayor of Joinville. Very moved, she recalled her trajectory and said that her family’s support has been essential for her to be able to make a difference in politics every day. “Despite all the heavy load we women face every day, we need to follow our purpose. We know that every choice represents a renunciation. But it is very good to be able to serve our city with all the care and affection”, declared Rejane Gambin.

The CEO of Café Cultura, Luciana Melo, spoke about the entrepreneurship and the support she received from the Almeida Junior Group at the beginning of her trajectory. She also told how she faced the challenges of the market, the pandemic and became the largest chain of coffee shops in the South of Brazil, being recognized as one of the best franchises in the country in 2021 by the magazine Pequenas Empresas Grandes Negócios. “Our pillars are origin, quality, passion and reputation. We want to sell experience, because coffee is a place for meetings”, recalled the businesswoman.

In 2022, LIDE reaches Year 10 and that is why it will connect leaders and promote entrepreneurship in Santa Catarina with the events that will be held at Almeida Junior malls, which are in the main cities of the state. “This event shows us the importance of the union of men and women in leadership, exchanging and understanding the pains and joys of each one. She for her. All for all. It was inspiring!”, concludes Monique Campos, Marketing and Relationship Director at Almeida Junior.

New technologies for retail are presented at LIDE TALKS, held in Continente Shopping

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.