CI T Y O N T H E MOVE Bureaucracy and high taxes are the worst enemies of foreign companies coming to South America in general. Corruption and insecurity are also challenges A One Moving crew with a consignment and truck Wesley Thom, Executive Director at FIDI Affiliate One Moving & Logistics. In addition, we are less than an hour from Santos, the largest port in Latin America. This port is more modern and agile and cheaper for dispatching moves than other ports in Brazil. At Transworld Moving Ltd, Account Manager Jason Lacayo says: So Paulo is the largest and richest state of Brazil, so there is more traffic than there is in Rio. Lacayo says Rio de Janeiro where his familys business was founded in the 1980s is a very important market, but he points out: Brazils economy is so diverse there are endless opportunities. At Teamwork Mudancas Internacionais Ltda, CEO Lars Peter Lemche has another reason for rating So Paulo as a top business location. Today, security is a bit better in So Paulo than other cities. Rio has become very dangerous, and is not recommended to the expat community, he said. STRONG JAPANESE PRESENCE Brazil is noted for its cultural diversity, with people from many different backgrounds, countries and ethnicities making a home for themselves across LARS PETER LEMCHE, CEO OF TEAMWORK 66 FF296 AprMay20 pp64-75 Sao Paolo.indd 66 A One Moving craftsman at work this large nation. So Paulo stands out for having the biggest population of Japanese people living outside of their home nation. According to one estimate, more than 1.5 million Japanese live in So Paulo. As a result, the city has more than 600 Japanese restaurants selling in excess of 12 million sushi every month. Some believe this greatly outnumbers the churrascarias Brazilian barbecue steakhouses. While the contribution of Japanese people to this lively city is evident, this community doesnt necessarily benefit the moving industry hugely. Cristiane Balista, Managing Director at FINK Mobilitys So Paulo office, explains that the citys Liberdade neighbourhood has become noted as a local attraction. This is a tourist district known for the largest Japanese community in the municipality, which is considered the largest in the world outside of Japan, she says. The origins of the Japanese community in this Brazilian mega-city date back to 1908, according to Balista. The ship Kasato Maru arrived in the state of So Paulo, bringing 781 Japanese people to Brazil, she says. They were farmers who came to work on the many coffee farms in the interior of the state. The presence of this large immigrant group means moves between Japan and Brazil, and vice versa, says Balista: For companies that focus on private moves, this is certainly a community to take into account. Lemche, at Teamwork, doesnt see a huge opportunity, however. The Japanese auto industry and some other manufacturing/machinery plants are strong in Brazil, but most of them are very loyal to their own suppliers. Japanese (business) only works with (the) Japanese, he says. Japanese people are known for only moving with what fits in their suitcase. One Moving & Logistics also handles more WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 31/03/2020 09:02