The participation of the founder of GIC Brasil, Irineu Fernandes, in Colombia’s largest supermarket fair attracted the attention of the public made up of entrepreneurs, executives and specialists in the sector, both during the event and afterwards. The Brazilian businessman was invited to take part in livestreams for retailers and industries, was featured in the Asociación Latinoamericana de Supermercados (ALAS), featured in relevant Colombian media and on social networks. The opening lecture at the Góndola fair in Cartagena de Indias was given by Irineu Fernandes, based on his book The Directions of Retail in the 21st Century, Pandemic and Transformation. Organized by the Federación Nacional de Comerciantes Empresarios de Colombia (Fenalco), the group of speakers also included representatives from MIT Food and Retail and the Asociación Española del Retail (AER), as well as ALAS itself, the sector’s main entity on the Latin American continent. The guests spoke about the design of food retail today in Latin America and the main global trends. “The fair was a success and I loved taking part, exchanging information and presenting some of what we do. An honor and a privilege,” said Fernandes. On his social network, Fenalco’s director of trade union training, Claudio Galán Pachón, highlighted the businessman’s participation in the opening speech. The newspaper El Universal covered the event and reported on Irineu Fernandes’ participation. The Góndola fair is the most important event for Colombian supermarkets, attended by entrepreneurs and executives from the retail, consumer goods and complementary services industries. “The meeting is characterized by providing the latest updates and global trends in the sector, by important and recognized national and international speakers, making it an obligatory meeting point for retail specialists in Colombia,” says Fenalco.
