Bright Star slams contract loss as "anti-constitutional"

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Paraguayan retailer Bright Star Business Corp has described the suspension of its recently-struck duty-free contract at Asuncion airport as "notoriously anti-constitutional and against the Paraguayan and Mercosur regulations for the establishment of duty-free operations".

General manager Marcos Rothenberg told travelretailworld.com: "Therefore Bright Star will be seeking legal protection against these unexpected and unjustified changes, and it will continue with the physical construction of both shops (a 1400sq ft departures store and a 950sq ft arrivals shop)and will carry on with the plan to open retail operations in the first quarter of 2001."

We exclusively revealed earlier this month that the government and Paraguay's civil aviation authority had suspended Bright Star's contract and declared an open tender for the concessions, the first to be awarded in Paraguay's airports.

Earlier, Dr Augusto Fuster, the president of civil aviation authority Direccion Nacional de Aeronautica Civil, said that the new decree does not challenge the opening of duty-free shops. "The establishment of duty-free shops in Paraguay is not under  question," he said. "Bright Star rented space from us in the airport of Asuncion and would still have the right to operate shops. But it will have to take part in an open tender, along with other companies who are interested."