The suspension of the Carnival blocks for the second year in a row because of the advance of the ômicron was a bucket of cold water for the Festas e Fantasias chain, one of the most traditional stores in the sector in the central region of São Paulo.
The movement this year grew by about 10% compared to 2021, but it is still 80% lower than that recorded in 2020, in the last Carnival without a pandemic, says businessman Pierre Sfeir, owner of the store.
“We sell a lot at wholesale, but shopkeepers canceled purchases. Now we are waiting for the final consumer, who usually comes at the last minute”, he says.
Sales to date account for approximately half of the company’s annual revenue, which has four stores.
According to Sfeir, Halloween, in October, gave the network a breather, which was already suffering from the cancellation of meetings during the pandemic. But the new variant of the coronavirus has brought it all down again.
He says he will wait the next two weeks to assess the situation. “Starting in March, we’ll see if we start to close units, lay off employees, because it’s no longer possible. Just a miracle. We were hoping that this miracle would be Carnival”, he says.
Joana Cunha with Andressa Motter and Ana Paula Branco
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