The launch of the Chilean chain’s first store in Colombia next Thursday will serve as a platform for this group to enter two other businesses like tourism and the business with holiday homes in Colombia as well as the insurance business.

The offerings of Falabella’s first store, to be launched in Bogotá next Thursday, will include several surprises.

One of them is that it will operate its own travel and insurance agencies. It will also include a post-sale service to be offered through Falabella Pro, a division which provides installation advisory services or assembly for products which may require it.

PORTAFOLIO was told this by Juan Pablo Montero, General Corporate Department Store Manager at Falabella (headquarters).

The executive indicated that these new businesses, which are part of the company’s structure, are in addition to the CMR credit card business, which had issued 182,000 cards as of last October 21st.

The first Falabella store at the Santafé shopping mall will operate in 14,400 square meters of retail space on three levels, and will create 450 jobs. The investment was worth 20 million dollars.

Because of its features, he explained that the client who visits the store will feel in an up-to-date store at the same level as the best ones in Santiago, Lima or Buenos Aires.

In any case, he added that when Falabella arrives in a country, it seeks to integrate into the community and to study the market’s specific needs.

Montero explained that the supplier list will include exclusive international brands, in addition to Colombian designers such as Olga Piedrahita and Mercedes Salazar.

He said that 60 percent of the products will be from Colombia. The main departments are women’s, men’s and children’s wear for various lifestyles. There is also a footwear department, perfumes, sports, decoration and technology. The store will offer novelties of its own and international brands, for example, the Apartament brand of apparel, produced by a company from Antioquia which up to now had only been sold in international markets.

“For over a year, we have been working closely with an important group of local suppliers and we have developed a set of products under Falabella’s own brand for Falabella Colombia and even for other countries where we operate,” Montero explained.

As to plans for 2007, he indicated that the company expects to open two stores per year, which represents investments worth 90 million dollars over five years.

He confirmed that the company is currently building new stores at the Imperial and Hayuelos shopping malls in Bogotá and acknowledged that “there is a first project in advanced stages in Medellín.”

The first of these is expected to be launched in the second half of this year.