New official kiosk is the first FlaShop in Rio's North Zone
The opening of the space featured stars from Flamengo's past and present
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
With the presence of stars from the past and present, such as defensive midfielder Kleberson and former players Adílio, Nunes, and Julio César (Uri Geller), as well as basketball champion point guard Fred, the first official FlaShop kiosk in Rio de Janeiro was inaugurated on Thursday night, October 29th. The store is located in the Nova América shopping mall, in Del Castilho, near exit 5 of the Linha Amarela highway.
The event generated a lot of activity on the mall's second floor. Dozens of people lined up for a chance to take a photo, exchange a few words, and ask for autographs from their idols. Flamengo's Charanga (Brazilian Charanga) drew people outside the mall, while the official mascots Uruba and Urubinha joked with the crowd. "It's great to receive this affection. We have a very important commitment to these fans," declared Adílio, one of the heroes of the Interclub World Cup triumph, amid countless requests for photos.
The launch featured a lounge where Fla-Filmes DVDs were shown on a home theater system. To accommodate the opening day's traffic, entrepreneur and franchisee Marcelo Plaisant, who also operates in the surfwear niche, assigned 20 salespeople. The success of the opening, he says, doesn't surprise him. "This is Flamengo," summarized the entrepreneur, who plans to open another Flashop kiosk in another Rio mall.
The initiative was welcomed by Flamengo fans in the North Zone. The kiosk is the first licensed business in the region – there's already a FlaShop in the city center, and soon the club, together with Olympikus, will open a gigantic official store in Gávea. "It's another option for buying official club merchandise. Before, there wasn't one. It was difficult to get to the South Zone," said Antonio Carlos de Oliveira, a 32-year-old engineer who lives in the Vila Kosmos neighborhood.
Claudio Issa, a 38-year-old businessman and resident of Cachambi, agrees. "Sometimes we had to go downtown or to the South Zone to buy official merchandise. Here, it's closer. And we look for other official merchandise besides the home game jersey. Tracksuits, for example," he emphasized.
Leila Monteiro, Flamengo's marketing licensing manager, believes the launch of the first official kiosk in Rio was a success. "This demonstrates the strength of the Flamengo brand," she noted.
For Eduardo Rosenberg of Roxos e Doentes, the company that selects Flashop franchises, the kiosk is the first step toward opening a store. "It's a quick operation and requires a smaller investment. It serves as a barometer for opening a store," he explains. According to him, the franchisee's being a Flamengo fan is an important ingredient. "Combining passion with business... is priceless."
According to Cecilia Figueiredo, marketing manager at Nova América Shopping Mall, investing in soccer-related initiatives is part of the mall's strategy, which boasts two outlet stores from major sports brands and VIP boxes at Maracanã and Engenhão stadiums, used to reward Nova América loyalty card customers. "We conducted a survey and the majority, almost 60%, of our customers are red-and-black fans. The project was a huge win for this clientele, who couldn't find products to buy. It will definitely become a store," Cecilia predicted.
The event generated a lot of activity on the mall's second floor. Dozens of people lined up for a chance to take a photo, exchange a few words, and ask for autographs from their idols. Flamengo's Charanga (Brazilian Charanga) drew people outside the mall, while the official mascots Uruba and Urubinha joked with the crowd. "It's great to receive this affection. We have a very important commitment to these fans," declared Adílio, one of the heroes of the Interclub World Cup triumph, amid countless requests for photos.
The launch featured a lounge where Fla-Filmes DVDs were shown on a home theater system. To accommodate the opening day's traffic, entrepreneur and franchisee Marcelo Plaisant, who also operates in the surfwear niche, assigned 20 salespeople. The success of the opening, he says, doesn't surprise him. "This is Flamengo," summarized the entrepreneur, who plans to open another Flashop kiosk in another Rio mall.
The initiative was welcomed by Flamengo fans in the North Zone. The kiosk is the first licensed business in the region – there's already a FlaShop in the city center, and soon the club, together with Olympikus, will open a gigantic official store in Gávea. "It's another option for buying official club merchandise. Before, there wasn't one. It was difficult to get to the South Zone," said Antonio Carlos de Oliveira, a 32-year-old engineer who lives in the Vila Kosmos neighborhood.
Claudio Issa, a 38-year-old businessman and resident of Cachambi, agrees. "Sometimes we had to go downtown or to the South Zone to buy official merchandise. Here, it's closer. And we look for other official merchandise besides the home game jersey. Tracksuits, for example," he emphasized.
Leila Monteiro, Flamengo's marketing licensing manager, believes the launch of the first official kiosk in Rio was a success. "This demonstrates the strength of the Flamengo brand," she noted.
For Eduardo Rosenberg of Roxos e Doentes, the company that selects Flashop franchises, the kiosk is the first step toward opening a store. "It's a quick operation and requires a smaller investment. It serves as a barometer for opening a store," he explains. According to him, the franchisee's being a Flamengo fan is an important ingredient. "Combining passion with business... is priceless."
According to Cecilia Figueiredo, marketing manager at Nova América Shopping Mall, investing in soccer-related initiatives is part of the mall's strategy, which boasts two outlet stores from major sports brands and VIP boxes at Maracanã and Engenhão stadiums, used to reward Nova América loyalty card customers. "We conducted a survey and the majority, almost 60%, of our customers are red-and-black fans. The project was a huge win for this clientele, who couldn't find products to buy. It will definitely become a store," Cecilia predicted.