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A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

PIMM
Reaching 566 million active
Latin American consumers
just got a whole lot easier.

Meeting the Demand, Facilitating Trade

Panama, site of the famous canal that joined two oceans and created
a new chapter in world commerce, is perfectly situated at the
crossroads of Latin America, a 566-million-strong, rapidly growing
market for the latest in manufactured goods from around the world.

P resently, Latin American and Caribbean buyers wishing

to avoid the complexities of overseas buying trips — high
costs, visa restrictions, security delays and plain old travel
fatigue — can place orders with manufacturers in the Colon
square-meter buildings with 6,800 exhibition showrooms,
ten apartment buildings, ten office buildings, four hotels and
a convention center. It will be the largest merchandise mart
in the world.
Free Trade Zone, which was established by the Panama gov- Located in the Colon Province, PIMM is a tax-exempt
ernment in 1954. The 3,000 companies operating in the operation: There are no import duties, sales tax or taxes on
Zone generated 2006 trade revenues of more than $14 bil- profits for companies doing business here.
lion (up 18% from the previous year), making it the second-
largest free trade zone in the world. FOREIGN TRADING MADE EASY
Unfortunately, the Zone is at maximum capacity: Despite PIMM offers the best-possible environment for buying and
the high demand, there are no more exhibition showrooms selling global goods. In addition to having numerous on-site
available. In fact, there are 2,500 companies on a waiting list. and tax advantages, it sits right at the hub of the Americas.
(Just one look at Panama on a map is enough to see it is a
prime trading location.) Getting to and from the country is
easy, with more than 80 daily direct flights to America,
Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Spanish, the
national language, is spoken by the vast majority of Latin
American buyers, and with the U.S. dollar as currency, trans-
actions are relatively uncomplicated.
With so many advantages, it’s no wonder PIMM is gener-
PIMM ANSWERS THE CALL ating enthusiastic responses from the marketplace: To date,
So how can the many manufacturers, exporters, whole- 100% of first-phase construction has already been sold — six
salers, distributors and sales agents from around the world months ahead of schedule!
access the burgeoning Latin American and Caribbean mar-
ket? Set up a permanent presence in the region to establish
ongoing relationships with buyers? Have access to the tax
advantages of a free-trade zone as well as to a host of expert
trade-related services and support?
The answer is the Panama International Merchandise Mart
(PIMM), S.A., the first international wholesale merchandise
mart in Latin America. Currently under construction on
1,300 acres of land near the Colon Free Trade Zone, PIMM,
at more than double the size, offers a whole lot more.
When completed, PIMM will feature thirty-two 25,000-

For more information on leasing or buying exhibition space,

please e-mail info@PIMM.com or call 011 507 391 05 05.
 A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

PIMM Enthusiastic Response Accelerates Construction

Construction plans a year ahead of
schedule are almost unheard of. But
then again, PIMM exceeds expectations.

F irst-phase plans for the Panama International Merchandise

Mart (PIMM) call for the construction of 800 exhibition
showrooms by 2009. To date, 100% of them have been sold
— six months ahead of schedule.When the entire complex is
MEETING DEMAND & ACCELERATING THE PACE

PIMM will be built in four phases, the last of which will be

completed in 2012, PIMM will be the largest duty-free and
tax-free wholesale marketplace in Latin America, facilitating
trade between thousands of manufacturers from around the
globe and wholesale buyers for the 566 million consumers in
South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
INDOOR WHOLESALE UNIVERSE FACILITATES TRADE
Unlike the warehouse and distribution centers of the nearby
Colon Free Trade Zone in the Colon Province of Panama,
PIMM is a sophisticated merchandising complex where buyers
meet sellers to experience first-hand the quality of their manu-
factured goods. “Relationships are made, orders are placed,”
explains Founder and CEO Reynald H. Katz,“and just a phone
call from a seller sends merchandise directly from its plant of
origin to anywhere in the world.”
He explains,“We will host merchandise shows, trade events
and other high-profile activities throughout the year to help
increase transaction volume for our international manufac-
turing partners. Buyers and wholesalers doing business here
HOW IT WORKS
A U.S., Asian or European manufacturer wants to export
a product to the Latin American market, but has no
physical presence or representation in the region. The
manufacturer contacts PIMM to buy a permanent show-
room and immediately arranges on-site living accommo-
dations, while a PIMM representative assists the manu-
facturer with a more permanent housing solution. Once
established in the new showroom, the manufacturer
exhibits and sells to the Latin America importers, whole-
salers and buyers coming to purchase from the vast
array of manufacturers located at PIMM.
completed in 2012. Phase I is already 100% sold to
manufacturers from Asia (60%), Europe (20%) and
America (20%). To meet this record-setting demand,
PIMM decided to accelerate Phase II by adding 1,600
showrooms immediately so that a total of 2,400 show-
rooms will be available in 2009.
will get the opportunity to see goods, trends and fashions six
months ahead of the market.”
GETTING BUSINESSES UP AND RUNNING
PIMM will offer a complete array of services to help com-
panies enter the Latin market smoothly so they can start
exhibiting, meeting buyers and selling as quickly as possible.
A legal team can help incorporate companies in Panama,
obtain investor visas and even open bank accounts.Trade spe-
cialists can help sort out international regulations and
requirements. Other PIMM professional services can help
with visas, trade financing, customs clearing, freight forward-
ing and showroom setup. Representatives can also assist in
selecting apartments, offices and schools for children and
advise on how best to buy or lease a car.
Everything at PIMM is designed for companies to succeed
in the Latin American marketplace. “What’s in our cus-
tomers’ best interest is in our best interest,” sums up Katz.“If
they succeed, we succeed.” And with PIMM’s outstanding
facilities and services, no doubt they all will.

For more information on leasing or buying exhibition space, please e-mail info@PIMM.com or call
+507 391 0505.
 A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

PIMM The concept, the location and the man

at the helm make for a compelling
investment opportunity.

Backed by Worlds of Experience

S ince news of the Panama International Merchandise

Mart (PIMM) hit the international business community,
the project has generated a lot of attention — from man-
ufacturers interested in buying showrooms to companies
wishing to establish strategic partnerships to investors
looking for a good place to put their money. And with
good reason: PIMM is unprecedented in its size, scope and
ability to offer a unique, cost-effective and highly convenient
transaction environment.
Thousands of manufacturers under one roof will attract buy-
ers and distributors from all over South America, Central
America and the Caribbean — customers whose foreign buy-
ing trips have been curbed by a variety of travel impediments.
PIMM is a win-win concept: suppliers reach a vast audience for
their manufactured goods from just one showroom in one loca-
tion; buyers have access to — literally — a world of goods on
one trip to a country that shares their language and customs.
In the late 1990s Katz served as senior adviser for the
Chinese Ministry of Internal Trade. A U.S. citizen, he was
one of the first foreigners to serve in this position. While
there, he was the architect for the high-end sourcing and
retailing operations in the 14 largest cities in China, and
spearheaded the development of 128 department stores
(each of which occupied 1 million square feet) and employ-
ing more than 240,000 employees.
With his unique trade experience, manufacturing and
marketing history and passion for the merchandise-mart
concept, Katz is uniquely qualified to make his Latin
American trading operation an unparalleled success.

THE MAN WITH THE VISION

What kind of person
spearheads the building of a
$750 million, 22-million-
square-foot wholesale trad-
ing complex, the largest of
its kind in the world? A born
entrepreneur and trade spe- Bernardo Gomez Miguel Defreitas
Vice President, Finance Vice President, Operations
cialist like Founder and
CEO Reynald Henry Katz.
All his life Katz has been
selling something — and EXPANSION PLANS
doing so successfully. As a Latin America is not the only location in PIMM’s
teenager he sold handmade future. Over the next five to ten years, Katz plans to
Reynald Henry Katz jewelry, earning the stagger- expand the concept, opening similar marts in Russia, the
Founder and CEO ing sum of $100,000. At 19 Middle East, China, India, Europe and South America.
he used that money to start “The proliferation of television, movies and the Internet
a cosmetics company, which he and his partner sold four around the world is fostering a continual demand for the
years later for $8 million. Since then he has owned and oper- latest and greatest products,” says Katz. “Even in the
ated a variety of successful cosmetics, perfume and liquor most unlikely places.” And PIMM intends to facilitate
manufacturers around the world. much of that demand.

For more information on leasing or buying exhibition space, or to explore investment opportunities,
please e-mail info@PIMM.com or call +507 391 0505.