Are they now wavering on the country? Possibly not Brazil?
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Rumor Brazil is the frontrunner for a new World Showcase Pavilion
- Thread starter doctornick
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Are they now wavering on the country? Possibly not Brazil?
No, I believe Brazil is still top of the list.
raymusiccity
Well-Known Member
Dang....99 pages later!
Oriolesmagic
Well-Known Member
It's always seemed a bit odd to have no South American representation in the World Showcase and I would expect that this is the main reason why Brazil is the favorite. Marni, I'm not sure if you know at this point, but is the reason that this appears to be in a bit of a holding-pattern due to a lack of a willing sponsor for the pavilion?
Last I knew there was a (large) sponsor.
trainplane3
Well-Known Member
Just for fun I Googled "large Brazilian company" and I got a 4 year old, but nicely summarized result:
- Telefonica S.A. (telecommunications) ...
- Previ (pension fund) ...
- Telemar Participacoes (telecommunications) ...
- BBD Participacoes (finance) ...
- Stichting Gerdau Johannpeter (steel) ...
- Wilkes Participacoes (retail) ...
- Blessed Holdings (food processing) ...
- Banco Santander S.A. (finance)
Would you know if one of the possible sponsors is on that list?
I would know, but given the hold up originally was legal mumbo jumbo with said sponsor, I shouldn’t say.
trainplane3
Well-Known Member
Ah, good point. Understood!
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Banco Santander is a huge company. Probably in the top 100 worldwide, but I thought they were headquartered in Spain. They certainly have deep enough pockets and are very active in the US and Europe as well so it would make some sense from a marketing prospective.
Oriolesmagic
Well-Known Member
That's what I had figured and that's why I asked! Thanks Marni! Hopefully everything gets resolved soon so this project can get underway!
mk1971
Active Member
I would bet all my chips on Blessed Holdings, which is the owner of JBS - the biggest Meat Company in Brazil. The owners of JBS also own Alpargatas, which is the company that makes Havaianas flip flops.
Havaianas has a store on Disney Springs and were a sponsor at D23 Expo 2017.
I actually said that in a previous post, I believe that if a Brazilian pavillion is built, they will be one of the sponsors, they would own the pavillions's restaurant (possibly a Brazillian Steakhouse) and there will probably be an Havaianas store in the pavilion.
The problem is that the owners of Blessed Holdings/JBS/Alpargatas (brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista) are involved in a huge corruption scandal in Brazil and they were actually arrested. They are in prision right now, so I believe that's the "legal mumbo jumbo" that @marni1971 mentioned.
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
They are also sold, a bit ironically location wise, in the African Outpost.
Princess Leia
Well-Known Member
Alright, so going by the flags depicted on the shoes, we’re getting pavilions for Argentina, Brazil, Uraguy, Portugal and Spain?It seems plausible. Disney and Alpargatas are solid partners since 2015 and the flip flops are being sold on more than 20 spots in WDW. They are beloved in Brasil and already have a lot of cobranded products.
The UK pavilion is apparently being switched to only England, all the time, based on the Cross of St George being included.
It's a good thing that no one would ever take offense to having their national flag walked on. Also a good thing that there are no cultures which regard shoes as dirty and taboo and as a source to greatly insult or demean anyone or anything.
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
These sandals are for display only. They have a shadow box upchage for $99.99.
Princess Leia
Well-Known Member
Just noticed the Netherlands are represented on the shoes as well.
And no flags for Mexico, Norway, China, Morocco, or Canada.
And no flags for Mexico, Norway, China, Morocco, or Canada.
Possible reasons for exclusion:
Mexico = Direct competition
Norway = onde está a noruega?
China = shadow owners of Brazil
Morocco = one of those countries with the "dirty foot" theory
Canada = doesn't import enough Brazilian beef
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
I’ve traveled to Third World countries. The dirty foot concept makes perfect sense in these places. Heck, there’s even places in the good old USA that are third world in reality.
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