Blumenau changes itself in October with the arrival of Oktoberfest, the largest party of Germanic tradition in the Americas. At each edition, more than 500,000 people attend the event, making the city the main tourist destination of Santa Catarina in this period.
Each year, Neumarkt and Norte Shopping are also part of the visitors’ itinerary and make a direct connection with Oktoberfest, a reflection of their close involvement with the local community. In this edition, both projects have points of sale for those who want to purchase tickets in advance and charge the credits of Oktoberfest Karte, the party’s consumer card. Oktoberfest’s cashless system replaces paper tickets and is accepted at any point of sale within the pavilion.
Neumarkt Shopping is presenting a 40-year commemorative photo exhibition of Vovô Chopão, one of the Oktoberfest symbols. There are 40 historic pictures of the character shot by different photographers, also with celebrities such as Ana Maria Braga and Cid Moreira.
Santa Catarina is on the investment route of major national and international brands. With favorable income indexes and high HDI, the State has been outstanding for attracting the eyes of investors who seek to expand the qualitative market for their brands. And Almeida Junior’s malls are of course the gateway to these major retailers.
In recent months, brands such as John John, Ellus, Centauro, Magazine Luiza, Natura, Canal Concept, Alice Salazar, Jogê, Lupo, Las Leñas, Cobasi, among many others, have opened units in the network shopping malls.
At Balneário Shopping, Almeida Junior’s iconic mall, Natura opened its first concept store in Southern Brazil, and Centauro also remodeled its operation for the new Generation Five format, the first in Santa Catarina. Two gastronomic novelties are coming soon: the renowned Tartuferia San Paolo, from São Paulo, and Jerônimo, from the Madero Group. Brands like Granado, Jogê, and Simple Organic were also added to the mix.
In the newest venture of the chain, Nações Shopping (in Criciúma), one of the highlights is the recently opened Las Leñas Restaurant, famous for serving the true Uruguayan parrilla. Gastronomy also gets reinforcement with Hamburgueria La Brasa, which will open soon, and Pizza Hut. In the fashion segment, John John, Ellus, Emporio Du Homem arrived to expand the mix. Among the retail giants, Centauro and Preçolândia have just signed a contract with Nações Shopping.
In the Itajaí Valley region, Neumarkt and Norte Shopping also received novelties. In the north, it opened a unit of Cobasi, a pioneer in the pet mall concept in Brazil, with a new health area, which houses Ecomax, Blumenau’s largest diagnostic imaging clinic, and Hemos Laboratório. Neumarkt received a John John store and three new operations for the food court: Montana Grill, Pizza Hut, and Chen’s Cozinha Oriental.
In the capital region of Santa Catarina, Continente Shopping expanded its mix with important operations: Leo Cosméticos, Eletrum, the Pro Quality Premium gym, Canal Concept, and Alice Salazar, who is a reference in make-up. Soon, there will be a unit of Werner Coiffeur salon and Preçolândia.
Garten Shopping, in Joinville, also received Leo Cosméticos, as well as Lupo, Reserva, Bibi Calçados, and Simple Organic, which have just opened operations. The gastronomy mix gained strength with the inauguration of Bull Prime, Paraná’s largest premium meat chain. And Magazine Luiza has already signed an agreement to open a unit soon.
Santa Catarina is featured in the Connected Smart Cities Ranking, which indicates the most intelligent and connected Brazilian cities. Of the 20 listed by Urban Systems consultancy, five are from Santa Catarina: Florianópolis, Blumenau, Joinville, Balneário Camboriú, and Itajaí. Not surprisingly, in four of them, Almeida Junior invested in shopping malls, contributing significantly to economic and social development by generating employment, improving the region’s infrastructure, and generating wealth for the municipality. The report analyzes indicators of cities such as mobility, security, urbanism, environment, technology, and innovation. The five cities of Santa Catarina have excellent rates in several of the analyzed criteria.
The report maps the cities with the greatest potential for development in Brazil through indicators that represent intelligence, connection, and sustainability. Overall, 70 indicators are evaluated, separated into 11 topics: mobility and accessibility, environment, urbanism, technology, health, security, education, entrepreneurship, energy, governance, and economy. Check out the top 20:
Campinas (SP) 2.São Paulo (SP) 3. Curitiba (PR) 4. Brasilia (DF) 5. São Caetano do Sul (SP) 6. Santos (SP) 7. Florianópolis (SC) 8. Vitória (ES) 9. Blumenau (SC) 10. Jundiaí (SP) 11. Campo Grande (MS) 12. Niterói (RJ) 13. Belo Horizonte (MG) 14. Rio de Janeiro (RJ) 15. Joinville (SC) 16. Itajaí (SC) 17. Balneário Camboriú (SC) 18. São Bernardo do Campo (SP) 19. Palmas (TO) 20. Porto Alegre (RS)
