Brazil’s largest retail and distribution group, Grupo Pão de Açúcar is teaming up with Garfield to offer a variety of private label treats to its customers. Grupo Pão de Açúcar (GPA) began dishing out Garfield goodies in February under its Qualitá brand, the biggest private label program in Brazil.
Working with suppliers including Barion Industria, Moinho Romariz Industria and Turatti & Turatti, GPA launched the new program in 700 Extra and Pâo de Açúcar stores presenting milk chocolate Easter treats, chocolate-covered popcorn, and chocolate bars. Garfield’s participation in Solidarity Easter, a GPA-promoted social event in which employees and suppliers distribute free chocolates to NGOs and underprivileged communities, along with the extensive use of point-of-sale materials and Garfield costume appearances in the stores ensured a successful kick-off, making the Garfield Easter items an instant best seller.
“Garfield recently celebrated his 40th birthday so he’s familiar to several generations now. For parents, he’s a reminder of their childhood, and for their children, the fat orange cat is a funny and irreverent character that makes them smile,” says Jim Davis, creator of Garfield. “I hope Garfield continues to be successful for GPA and that we can continue to develop new products for years to come.”
GPA has more than 2,000 points of sale located in 22 states and DC (Brasilia) in Brazil. It’s the largest retail and distribution group in the country, but also the largest private sector employer, with more than 140,000 employees.
GPA worked with licensing agent Vertical Licensing to bring the agreement to Paws, Inc., cartoonist Jim Davis’ licensing company. Paws was founded in 1981 to handle the creative end of the Garfield licensing business. Today, Paws is the sole owner of all copyrights and trademarks for the Garfield property and controls not only the creative angle of the fat cat’s flourishing empire but also the licensing, marketing, and brand management of Garfield and the Garfield characters.