Retail News CRM

Tag: portugal

  • Carris Adds 29 Electric Buses to Expand Lisbon Fleet to 103

    Carris Adds 29 Electric Buses to Expand Lisbon Fleet to 103

    Lisbon public transport operator Carris has expanded its electric bus fleet with 29 Yutong U12 vehicles, lifting its total to 103 electric buses as part of an investment programme of more than €31 million.

    A total of €17.05 million is financed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), according to Portuguese Secretary of State for Energy Jean Barroca, following the commissioning of 15 electric minibuses in 2026.

    Delivery Bottlenecks Open Doors For Chinese Makers

    Carris CEO Rui Lopo highlighted the delivery capacity of the European bus industry as a challenge for the fleet transition, as the municipal operator aims to procure and operate up to 150 new buses annually over the long term.

    The deployment delivers immediate commercial scale for Yutong in southern Europe, where municipal operators face rigid decarbonisation deadlines. For European fleet operators and component suppliers, Lisbon’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing shows an ongoing mismatch between local transit procurement timetables and domestic assembly throughput.

    Charging Network Investment

    Fleet expansion is running alongside depot grid upgrades. Carris will spend approximately €2 million on charging infrastructure at bus stops by the end of 2026, followed by more than €10 million scheduled for 2027 to install energy management systems and high-voltage grid connections.

    Under the national resilience funding framework, the municipal operator has installed 25 dedicated charging stations since 2022 alongside orders for 29 minibuses and 49 standard electric buses, investing €15 million from its own capital.

    Phasing Out Diesel Before 2030

    Lisbon has cut its operational diesel fleet from 524 to 379 vehicles, putting zero-emission units on more than half of all scheduled route kilometres. Earlier in 2026, Carris commissioned 15 electric minibuses ahead of the Yutong single-deck batch, following earlier procurements from domestic builder CaetanoBus in 2019 and 2023.

    Portugal and the European Commission are preparing a wider procurement programme to tender 1,006 zero-emission buses across 70 municipalities, with Carris targeting a full phase-out of fossil-fuel passenger vehicles by 2030.

  • Indonesia promotes Wonderful Indonesia at Portugal tourism fair

    Indonesia promotes Wonderful Indonesia at Portugal tourism fair

    Indonesia promoted the Wonderful Indonesia brand at the biggest tourism exhibition in Portugal, called Bolsa Turismo de Lisboa (BTL), at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) Lisbon.

    The event was organized by the Association of Industries of Portugal (AIP) and was opened by the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa.

    Indonesian pavilion featured art performances and a seminar titled Dream, Explore and Discover Wonderful Indonesia. The seminar was organized by the Visit Indonesia Tourism Officer (VITO) Paris, a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon received by ANTARA said here on Wednesday.

    This exhibition is being held regularly for the last 28. During the March 2 to 6 event, the Indonesian booth entertained about 2,000 visitors.

    Data from the Portugal Ministry of Immigration showed an increase in the number of Portuguese tourists to Indonesia, from 18,312 tourists in 2014 to at least 21,000 in 2015.

    Indonesias target is to attract through the BTL event 25,000 Portuguese tourists during 2016.

    At the BTL, Indonesia introduced 10 new destinations, namely Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Tanjung Kelayang Beach (Belitung), Seribu Islands (Jakarta), Tanjung Lesung Beach (Banten), Borobudur Temple (Central Java), Bromo-Tengger-Semeru (a volcano complex area in East Java), Mandalika (West Nusa Tenggara), Wakatobi (East Nusa Tenggara), Morotai Island (North Maluku), Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara).

    The Indonesian Ambassador to Portugal, Wirana Mulya, said the bilateral relations between the two countries are becoming ever stronger.

    The Indonesian government extends a visa-free visit policy for 30 days to the citizens of Portugal to visit Indonesia.

    The ambassador called upon stakeholders in the field of tourism to encourage Schengen visa exemption for Indonesian tourists to European countries.

  • Trent and Sonae take Sport Zone to India

    Trent and Sonae take Sport Zone to India

    Sport Zone, Portugal’s leading sports retail chain, will launch in India through stores managed by Trent.

    Part of the Tata group, Trent is one of India’s largest and fastest growing retail chains.

    Sport Zone, headquartered in Iberia and owned by Sonae, is the largest chain of sports shops in Portugal. The innovative products and equipment developed and marketed by Sport Zone will be available to Indian customers in franchised stores and shop-in-shops in department stores managed by Trent.

    The first such store is the newly launched Commercial St store of Landmark.

    The partnership plans to open the first five Sport Zone stores in India by end of 2016.

    Miguel Mota Freitas, CEO of Sonae SR, said Sonae wants to capitalise on the distinctive factors of its brands worldwide, exploiting their competitive advantages, based on the design and quality of their products.

    “The group’s entry into the Indian market is another important step in this strategy, as it enables us to strengthen our presence in Asia and allows us to have Trent as a benchmark partner in the second most populous country in the world.”

    Established in 1997, Sport Zone offers a wide range of sports goods and equipment of leading international brands as well as exclusive brands and has over 100 stores across the world. Sport Zone also markets its brands and innovations worldwide since its exclusive brands are available through wholesale channels in 22 countries.

    Sonae is one of the largest retail groups in Portugal with two major partnerships in Shopping Centers (Sonae Sierra) and Telecommunications (Sonaecom) businesses. At the end of 2014, Sonae achieved turnover of around 5 billion euros.

    Lees ook:

  • Portugalia Beerhouse lands in Macau

    Portugalia Beerhouse lands in Macau

    Portugalia, the Portuguese beerhouse chain, has marked its 90th anniversary by opening its first restaurant away from home – in Macau.

    The new restaurant, officially opening today (March 6), is the result of an international expansion plan developed over several years and marks the first of several direct investments planned for Asia.

    Located in Taipa Village (Mercadores St No 5), Portugalia is designed in the tradition of a Portuguese house. Three floors are open for dining and are accented with classic tiles brought directly from Portugal.

    Patrons will also find historic images from the beerhouse’s early days, a custom-built wine cellar and a private room adorned with cork decor elements, plus two outdoor terraces.

    The restaurant serves genuine Portuguese cuisine – fitting for Macau, a former Portuguese colony before its handover to China in 1997.

    The steak is the brand’s iconic dish, but patrons can also find fresh seafood and traditional fare such as codfish and “Alentejana” pork.

    Draught beer and exclusively selected Portuguese wines are offered alongside the restaurant’s famous fresh snacks including octopus salad and meat croquettes. For desserts, it offers traditional Portuguese delicacies like egg pudding, rice pudding and the national version of creme brulee.

    The restaurant is designed to create “a relaxed, family ambience together with modern decor plus excellent service” and the management team, including chef Ricardo Alves, came from Portugal for the challenge to represent Portugalia in Macau.

    Lees ook: