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INSIDER
A busy day at the Cellshop store in Ciudad de Este, Paraguay. An estimated 10,000 customers visit the main
Cellshop store every day.
Cellshop transforms Paraguayan border shopping as it expands into
new cities
An exclusive profile by John Gallagher
Cellshop – one of the leading South land border duty free store in Brazil along store in Ciudad del Este. Since then, the
American border duty free operators, with two airport stores in Foz do Iguaçu, company has recorded growth every year,
has grown in the last 22 years from very and as of September, a 5,000 sqm store in except during the Covid-19 pandemic.
humble beginnings. Pedro Juan Caballero in northern Paraguay Since 2011, when consumer
Originally opened under the name on the border with Brazil. electronics were added to the original
of the Cell Motion Group by company The company today is recognized range of cell phones and accessories, it
founder and president Jorbel Griebeler, it as one of the most important retailers in has grown significantly. In 2015 more
was a small 12 sqm store with only three Ciudad del Este, and as the group continues new categories and products were added
employees, selling spare parts, chargers, to expand many Argentine and Brazilian along with a move to the actual store
and batteries for cellular telephones. The shoppers make it their first port of call that has become a 7,000 sqm, five-floor
company now operates a full-service when they make shopping trips to the department store in the downtown area of
multi-category duty free shop in the center Triple Frontier region. Ciudad del Este. An impressive range of
of Ciudad del Este, a vibrant store in the Cellshop began operations back in cell phones, computers, TVs, video games,
Paraguayan capital Asuncion, the biggest 2003 as a small cell phone and accessories perfumes and cosmetics, wines and spirits,
confectionery, clothing, footwear, and
household appliances now constitute the
products on sale. One of the busiest stores
in Ciudad del Este, an estimated 10,000
customers visit the main Cellshop store
daily.
In April 2021, the Cellshop Group
opened its first store outside Paraguay with
the inauguration of a 2,400 sqm duty free
store in the Catuaí Palladium shopping mall
in Foz do Iguaçu. The store is currently
the biggest land-based border store in
Brazil, and carries all the leading duty free
categories. The store was opened to the
public with Covid-19 restrictions still in
place.
Cellshop invested $1 million to
Jorbel Griebeler, Cellshop founder and president prepare the store in Foz and even though
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