Ralph Lauren Wants To Make Comporta The New Hamptons Of Portugal ♦ Brazilian businessman Ricardo Bellino, in partnership with the Ralph Lauren group, wants to transform the Herdade do Pinheirinho, in the municipality of Grândola, into a kind of Hamptons – the luxury beachside retreat where New York millionaires like to pass the week and vacations. The idea is to take advantage of the status of the American stylist to promote an ultra-positive lifestyle, with social and sporting activities linked to golf, horses and culture, capable of seducing the cream of Portuguese society and the foreign elite that walks around. Secrets From Portugal is here to share all the good news with you, enjoy!
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“We do not want to create a kind of Disneyland Ralph Lauren, with branded products everywhere, even because our target audience would not like it,” says Ricardo Bellino. “What we want is to break the region’s seasonality with initiatives throughout the year, and then Ralph Lauren will be important to capture the golf and polo tournaments or bring exhibitions, for example from its well-known collection of vintage cars. “The lifestyle group will have a license agreement, being responsible for the concept of design, furniture and accessories, as well as marketing and sales actions, but without investment commitments, Bellino explains.
Former Donald Trump partner in real estate business in Brazil, the businessman not only confirms to VISÃO that he has submitted a proposal to buy the estate, 25 kilometres south of Comporta, as he is convinced that he will be the winner of the contest. With the support of BTG Pactual, a Brazilian investment bank that intends to start activity in Portugal, Bellino justifies the confidence that it has made an offer that it estimates to be “30% above market value”. Valuation is usually of this order in real estate projects associated with luxury brands, such as Giorgio Armani, Bulgari or Porsche, from the United States of America to China, through Europe.
After visiting Comporta at the invitation of the Espírito Santo family, “a few years have gone by”, the Rio-born investor soon challenged Ralph Lauren for such a partnership in the region. Known for creating unlikely business opportunities, he saw the whole plan fall apart before the end of Ricardo Salgado’s empire. In 2017, he would return to work to negotiate with Pedro Almeida, but this potential Comporta buyer would be on the way. “I decided then that I would get it even out of anger,” laughs Ricardo Bellino.
The change of strategy, with the search for land in the same beach line but not necessarily in the refuge of years of the Espírito Santo family, can now bear fruit. Herdade do Pinheirinho, between Comporta and Galé, is being sold by the New Bank, following a previous credit breach of the credit. The real estate project added to it includes a hotel, villas of 300 and 600 m2, and a golf course. The proposal led by the Brazilian businessman will be around € 100 million, including the luxury project, but there will be at least two others on the table. The process should be closed during the month of July.
