Rio Court Halts Auction of Botafogo Supermarket Site

Overview

• The Tribunal de Justiça do Rio issued a liminar that suspends the planned auction after an appeal by owner Grupo Sendas, and the court has not yet decided the case on its merits.
• Residents led by the Associação de Moradores e Amigos de Botafogo held a protest on Saturday demanding the site remain a supermarket and said the administration did not consult the community.
• The property already had a lease agreement with Grupo Mundial, a Cade approval for a new supermarket and a licensing request filed with the prefeitura before the city moved to expropriate the site.
• The Ministério Público formally opposed holding the auction, while the Prefeitura says the expropriation followed legal procedures and its procuradoria will file defenses; FGV has issued limited public comment.
• With the auction on hold, the next steps are court filings and a judicial ruling that will decide whether the block remains commercial and how the change could affect roughly 200,000 residents who use local retail services.