Bright news for Bright Star in Paraguay

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Bright Star Business Corp has successfully settled a protracted dispute with the Paraguayan government, clearing the way for the company to legally operate duty-free shops at Asuncion's Silvio Petirossi International Airport.

Bright Star was awarded the Asuncion concession and completed the construction of its store at the beginning of the year.  But, as exclusively revealed in Duty-Free News International, in July the Paraguayan Supreme Court of Justice, under pressure from domestic market retailers, restricted the operator from trading and building at the airport.

The legal settlement has been formulated via a presidential decree revoking earlier decrees that had blocked Bright Star's rights to run duty-free shops.

Bright Star said in a statement:  "Both the decree and the agreement have been accepted by the Paraguayan court of administrative matters, which has sealed them as a final agreement. This guarantees the legality of the operation and its continuity, leaving no room for legal contestation of the legitimacy of our business operation."

The company added: "It is important to note that since the opening of the shops in March of 2001, the operation has been working under normal and legal duty-free conditions and has already serviced more than 20,000 passengers."

Bright Star thanked its suppliers and supporters "for their unqualified acceptance of the legality and the principles of our business, which is to run a professional and efficient travel-retail operation in a country that has not had either for a long time."

But it warned: "The many virulent and aggressive attacks our company and our people have suffered since October of last year when we publicly announced our project are bound to continue, since some sectors of Paraguayan society seem to fear free trade and open competition. However, we remain confident that fair play and hard work will prevail."