Mercado Emprende: The largest showcase for local entrepreneurs will operate nationwide, in Cencosud Shopping Centers

The health crisis has hit local entrepreneurs hard. This was revealed in a survey conducted a few weeks ago by the Association of Entrepreneurs of Chile (Asech), which showed that 91.1% of them have seen their ventures affected by the arrival of COVID-19, representing a 6% increase compared to the first quarter of this year. Additionally, 50.2% have been "seriously affected".

In response to this, and in support of those who are the fundamental driving force of our economy, Mercado Emprende is already active in regions such as Portal Osorno, Portal Temuco, Portal Rancagua, and Portal Belloto, as well as in the Metropolitan Region at Mall Costanera Center, Alto las Condes, Portal la Dehesa, Portal Ñuñoa, and Portal La Reina. This initiative will run for one month and is free for all attendees.

Regarding this public-private partnership, the national director of Sercotec, Bruno Trisotti, stated,

"All this joint work stems from the current needs of SMEs in our country. We know that they have found it difficult to sell due to the pandemic, so we have sought support networks such as Cencosud Shopping, who have helped us generate new sales channels and have provided us with a space for our entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products. This is a tremendous initiative because SMEs are our national pride, and we must always support them."

The objective of this fair is to rotate the ventures to achieve greater reach and visibility in each locality and offer a diverse range of products. In addition to the support of Corfo, the fair also has the backing of Sercotec, various municipalities, and the Fair Trade Association.

"We know that millions of ventures have been affected by the pandemic, but we have also witnessed how they have been able to reinvent themselves in one of the most challenging scenarios of recent years. That is why we wanted to make an effort and make the spaces in all our shopping centers available throughout the country, so they can have a space and a showcase for one month, and thus support them in reactivating their businesses," said Macarena Bassaletti, Deputy Manager of Marketing and Sustainability at Cencosud Shopping.

Decorative items, textiles, jewelry, national crafts, natural beauty products, and food are among the products that can be found during this fair that promotes local entrepreneurship.