After two years of pause and with great emphasis on the role that supermarkets played in times of pandemic, due to the workforce they employ and as the main space for the production of the national industry and entrepreneurs, the Expo was opened. CAPASU 2022 “The New Retail”, at the Conmebol Convention Center.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce (MIC), Luis Alberto Castiglioni, participated in the opening ceremony, thanking the president of the Paraguayan Chamber of Supermarkets (CAPASU) and its members for the gesture of solidarity and support for micro-entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, provide a space for exhibition and sale, and open the opportunity in the aforementioned shopping centers. In addition, he pointed out the performance of the national industry in times of pandemic, where there was no shortage of food and basic supplies, and where supermarkets played an important role.
Likewise, the event was attended by national authorities, unions and businessmen from the sector, who will exhibit until this Thursday, September 15, with varied offers.
More than 150 exhibitors participate, showing all the best in industry, commerce and services, equipment and technology. The visit of supermarkets from the interior of the country to Campo 9, Philadelphia, Loma Plata, Hohenau, Santa Rita, Obligado, Itacurubí del Rosario, Limpio, Encarnación, Hernandarias, Caacupé, Ypacaraí, Caaguazú, Concepción, Villarrica, Neuland, Pedro stands out. Juan Caballero, Liberación, San Pedro, Ciudad del Este, J. Eulogio Estigarribia, Villeta, among others.
Unprecedented joint effort
For his part, the president of CAPASU, Alberto Sborovsky, highlighted the role of the sector he presides over in the dark times of the pandemic, emphasizing that supermarkets, with the strength of their collaborators, carried out the situation with dedication and care, in the face of the uncertainty of the unknown.
“In the world there was a shortage, however, that was not the case in Paraguay, because the national industry assured us the supply in a timely manner of the most demanded products at that time, and we armed ourselves with courage and built the safe places to make purchases, where officials and customers were protected with protocols, which were later taken and replicated by businesses and citizens in general, “he said.
Dialogue between public and private sector
He pointed out that, given the pandemic situation, the public and private sectors have sat down to dialogue and practice unprecedented synergy, in a show of joint effort in which they demonstrated that, if the public and private sectors are aligned on a common, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome.
“We learned that public-private work generates a positive synergy and makes good things happen; we learned that formality is key to making a leap in quality as a country, and mainly to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Paraguayans; we learned that prioritizing the national industry from the beginning and from public policies are the keys to more and better opportunities in the social and economic spheres; we learned that institutions must be protagonists of changes with people; we learned that independent justice for all Paraguayans is the key to achieving social peace, development and investment, and that MSMEs are the great engine of the economy and that their formalization, care and support, from public policies, are indispensable for an integral development”, he emphasized.
Regarding the motto of the Expo, he said that this year is “The new Retail”, and in the event they will address how and in the future, how they should prepare their operations to be sustainable, efficient, dynamic. “But, above all, to serve consumers from a vision of service quality and technology implementation. The dynamism of retail is such that we must be updated and trained to provide quality services, compete with innovation, develop quality e-commerce and have precision in all weights and volumes”, he explained.
Paraguayan products in gondolas
The president of the Paraguayan Industrial Union (UIP), Enrique Duarte, defined CAPASU as defenders of the economy and formal employment in Paraguay, and a real ally in job creation and the fight against informality. “It is a sector that despite the adverse scenario continues betting and investing in Paraguay. He generated the Añua plan, with cheap food kits during 2020, with the desire to collaborate with the country, and the strong support he has been giving is seen, since more than 200 entrepreneurs and artisans are supported by the sector, ”he indicated. .
Also, he stressed that to the extent that the industrial sector is strengthened and continues its growth path, the commerce sector and the service sector will also have greater possibilities of increasing their sales. “It fills us with pride to see products from the Paraguayan industry occupying sectors of supermarket shelves and distribution centers. Paraguayan production has responded to consumer demand with quality and good prices, and we are even more proud to know that they are crossing borders and reaching increasingly demanding markets. To continue advancing in this line, we require public-private actions, which in fact we have been working on permanently with the MIC and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG). The provision of road infrastructure must continue, at the rate at which it is being carried out, the routes generate better conditions and end up having a positive impact on the costs of supply and distribution. We believe that the time has come for a greater industrialization of Paraguay, and we have a lot of room to grow. We industrialists have shown, precisely to the supermarket sector, that we can provide with quality and a good price, and we only ask for an opportunity to work”, he affirmed.
