One of Rio’s Main Shopping Malls, Cobal do Humaitá Risks Closing

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – One of Rio de Janeiro’s main shopping malls, Cobal do Humaitá, located in the neighborhood with the same name in the South Zone of Rio, is at serious risk of closing. According to entrepreneur Vera Podiacki, 70 years old, who has been running a coffee shop for 25 years, court officials have not yet visited the Cobal because of the pandemic.

“The feeling is that the ground has opened up, and I can see the bottom, because it has been a lifetime of dedication. We have not yet been visited by the court official because of the pandemic,” says Vera.

Milo Passos, who has owned a restaurant on the site since 1996, says he has already received an eviction order and regrets that he has not invested in the same type of establishment outside Cobal.

“If I had invested outside what I invested here in financial resources, time, energy, I would have a huge asset, and today I am bound to leave here with nothing,” laments the entrepreneur.

In all, some 50 commercial establishments are experiencing the same situation there. This is due to the fact that the lease contracts, which were renewed every five years, are no longer being authorized by the National Supply Company (CONAB), a state-owned company linked to the Ministry of Agriculture that owns the premises.

“They claim they have no more interest in the concessions of stalls. If they evict everyone, this will become a wasteland in the middle of the city of Rio de Janeiro. If Cobal closes, another 5,000 people who work directly or indirectly on the site will be unemployed,” says Milene Bedran, president of the Cobal do Humaitá Business Association.

“If it closes, we’ll all be unemployed. In addition to the people who work here, we generate indirect employment for people who sell. It will be a disaster if Cobal is closed,” says Idonias da Costa Silva, a store manager at the site, echoing Milene.

For Regina Chiaradia, president of the Botafogo Residents’ Association, the site is a reference for locals: “Cobal is the lung, the heart of the neighborhood. There is no Botafogo and Humaitá without Cobal. It’s our ‘backyard.”

CONAB justifies itself

According to CONAB, what is happening now is not unprecedented, since many eviction orders covering the Cobal do Humaitá site have occurred over the years. The agency also states that there are lawsuits in progress concerning the lack of payment by some renters, and the courts have granted the company a victory in the case. However, due to the pandemic, the rulings have been suspended. The traders mentioned in the report, in turn, say they are up to date with their rental payments.

What is Cobal do Humaitá?

Opened in 1971, Cobal do Humaitá occupies almost 10,000 square meters including buildings and parking lots. There are restaurants, coffee houses, bars, flower stores, wine shops, supermarkets, and fruit and vegetable stalls. Around 12,000 people visit the place daily – or did before the coronvirus pandemic hit.

In fact, Cobal do Humaitá is a site that has been classified as a Cultural and Intangible Heritage of the State of Rio de Janeiro.