Just over four months from fire that affected a third of Punta Shopping and generated millions in losses for the supermarket chain English Storethis Thursday, December 15, the company inaugurated a new space in Punta del Este. The branch will begin to receive the public starting this Friday from 8:00 a.m.
It was fulfilling the commitment announced by the company’s CEO, Juan Manuel Parada, the day that Tienda Inglesa suffered the collapse of its branch as a result of the fire: to work to “rebuild a store” that is an “emblem”, he had pointed out the executive.
In the Punta Shopping parking lot, stands a new branch of about 4,000 square meters in total, with approximately 2,600 dedicated exclusively to the sale of products from the different sections that characterize the supermarket.
L. Carreno
New English Store
After a construction that required an investment of several million dollars, and that was done in record time – exactly two months of work – Tienda Inglesa is committed to maintaining the standard that characterizes the company with, in addition to the products, services such as Click&Go to withdraw purchases made online and also with a parking area.
In addition, this new inauguration allows the company to give work to all the workers who were on unemployment insurance since the accident. “We are proud to have the team we have. We clearly have that spirit of resilience to get up from such a tragedy,” said Parada.
Likewise, Tienda Inglesa added new seasonal collaborators to meet the demand of the summer season.
The opening
“Thank you”, reads on the facade of Tienda Inglesa, a sign made with the material that survived the fire, with the aim of thanking all those who collaborated in the construction process. 132 days have passed since that August 6, 2022 when the original premises began to catch fire.
L. Carreno
New English Store
“We had to have a store at the Tienda Inglesa level, of an exceptional level,” added Parada.
In addition, at the opening ceremony Tienda Inglesa presented “The art of resilience“, an exhibition in which ten artists from Maldonado created works from the remains of the fire. Each of them reflects that any obstacle, no matter how big, can become a new beginning.
In dialogue with the press, Parada maintained that intense work was done for the construction of the new premises, which was completed after 62 days of work.
He recalled that the fire occurred on August 6. “On the 7th we knew that the damage was total. On the 8th we got together with 100% of the officials and we promised them that they would all return and they did. There was no person left on unemployment insurance, ”he said.
