Living in Peru : your everyday companion

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The restaurant chain owned by Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio was considered by the Spanish newspaper El País as “a Latin American multinational firm", which is beginning to spread into other regions such as Europe.

According to the aforementioned newspaper, “Astrid y Gaston” is promoting indigenous agricultural products of the Peruvian cuisine, and is a good example of product innovation of "Latin American firms in the world."

“Astrid y Gaston” has opened locations in Quito, Santiago de Chile, Bogotá, Caracas, Mexico, Madrid and Panama, becoming the ambassador of Peruvian cuisine in the world.

According to the article's author, Lourdes Casanova, this restaurant is a good example for many other Latin American firms.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru and Chile are not enemies, but natural allies to compete in the Asian markets, said the Peruvian-Chilean Business Council official Jose Francisco Raffo.

“Thanks to the APEC Forum, Peru and Chile see each other not as enemies or rival countries, but partners who aim to jointly compete with the giant Asian markets,” he said.

Raffo noted that Peru and Chile are currently the only two Latin American countries that have a FTA with China.

He also said there is a tremendous interest from Chilean entrepreneurs to invest in Peru, due to its stability and great business opportunities.

Raffo also denied rumours about alleged restrictions for Peruvian investors to enter the Chilean economy: “the road for Peruvian investors is totally open,” he added.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peruvian exports would total US $28.4 billion dollars in 2010, according to Cesar Peñaranda, Executive Director of the Economic and Business Development Committee (IEDEP) of Lima’s Chamber of Commerce (CCL).

"A recovery is expected next year in the advanced economies, as well as an improvement in the prices of main Peruvian export products, mostly commodities,” Peñaranda said.  

He estimated that exports this year (2009) will total US $24.7 billion dollars, lower than this year’s import level of US $25.1 billion, which have also experienced a decline compared to previous years.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Canada could come into force in August and the one with China at the end of this year, according to Eduardo Ferreyros, Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur).

Peru-Canada FTA was signed in May last year, in order to promote bilateral practices and assistance.  

As for the FTA with China, the vice-president said that they only need to finish the texts of the agreement in the Spanish and Chinese versions.

“We have signed an English version of the agreement, but we need do have it in the other languages as well,” he told TV Peru.

The Peruvian and Chinese delegations will need a couple of months more to finish this process.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com

Andina

Corporación EW will open its first Plaza Norte shopping center on July 10th with an investment of nearly 500 million soles, the company's malls & real estate manager Edgar Callo said Tuesday.

This new mall is located in the district of Independencia, between the Northern Pan American Highway and Tupac Amaru Avenues, at the intersection of San Martin de Porres, Los Olivos, Independencia and Rímac districts.

It will have an area of 200 square meters, twice as big of the area occupied by the Mega Plaza Norte mall, its closest competition, which has 96,000 meters square.

"It will be the largest mall in the country and is located in a strategic place because more than three million people walk by everyday, it is the busiest corner in Lima," he told Andina.

Callo noted that the total investment in this mega-complex will amount to 500 million soles by the year-end, however about 480 million have already invested.

"Corporación EW has already invested about 240 million soles, added to the finishes and investment of the complex’s operators, this investment is doubled," he said.

Plaza Norte will have a 13,000-square meter HiperWong, a 8,000-square meter Maestro Home Center as well as a casino, hotels, discotheques and more than 100 stores where people can find the most recognized brands in the market.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Mega Plaza General Manager, Percy Vigil, reported that in September or October they will finish their first strip center (small shopping center), worth US$ 4 million.

He said that this project will include one Plaza Vea supermarket and 29 stores, all in a will be developed on a 15,000 square meter area.

This company, linked to Chilean Parque Arauco, is evaluating new projects in the districts of San Juan de Lurigancho, Santa Anita, El Agustino in Lima north, and in Lima south in Villa Maria del Triunfo.

“These areas represent a neglected market,” said Vigil.

The company expects to start extension works in Mega Plaza shopping center next year.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Doe Run Peru's conflicts might reach a solution very soon, because, according to the congressman Jorge Del Castillo, the workers will present a legal claim in order to have the judicial management administration of La Oroya smelter.

The workers' goal is to avoid the company to shut down operations, which would jeopardize their jobs.

Del Castillo, who is the mediator in the conlict at the workers' request, said that once the courts authorize the measure, another company will be hired to assume responsibility for the mining complex's administration.

Doe Run has been facing problems since 4 months ago, when some bank refused to extend more credits.

The company has not complied yet neither with its creditors nor with the environment clean-up that it was supposed to do.

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Andina

Visa has teamed with VisaNet Perú and Telefónica to launch its first commercial m-payments service in Latin America.

“Pago Móvil con Visa” (Visa Mobile Pay) will let account holders with credit or debit cards issued by Banco de Crédito, Interbank, BBVA Continental and Scotiabank pay for products and services over the wireless network.

Initially, account holders will be able to use their mobile phone to pay for cab fares and send flower arrangements, as well as to top up their wireless pre-paid account.

Other areas are scheduled to be added, such as deliveries of pharmaceutical products, gas distribution and catalogue orders.

Visa says its service is particularly appealing to merchants in remote regions and to mobile businesses with no access to a wired telecommunications infrastructure because it eliminates the need for a traditional payment terminal.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Many Bolivian large and medium-sized enterprises are reportedly planning to move to Peru amid decreasing exports due to the lack of trade openness in their country, according to Bolivia's National Chamber of Exporters.

"Bolivian companies see that Peru has appropriate conditions to settle in this country and take advantage of the U.S. market through the FTA that Peru has signed," said the National Chamber of Exporters' General Manager, Jose Rivero.

United States suspended Bolivia’s trade preference in 2008, and Bolivia is not negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) at the moment with the European Union.

Washington’s authorities have said that Bolivia could recover its trade preference if it starts inmediately an effective struggle against drug trafficking, according to international conventions in force today.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Ministry of Labor (MTPE) informed this afternoon that Doe Run Peru has not officially shut down its operations yet, so the workers should in fact have worked today as usual.

He remarked that the MTPE is participating in the talks with the company representatives in order to find a suitable solution to the workers' issues, so that they can keep their jobs.

“The talks were delayed for tomorrow (June 23rd). However , due to this, some union leaders misinformed the workers, telling them that their jobs were at risk, that they would lose them,” said Jorge Villasante, Peru's Labor Minister.

Villasante asked the workers "not to listen to political manipulation” and to return to work.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.