Efficient Capex management and the challenge of constant expansion are crucial for retail companies like Alife Nino, which combines restaurants and entertainment to create unique experiences for its customers. The Engineering Director, Beatriz Mariane de Paula, reveals in her presentation at the 9th Edition of Retail Expansion by Construct IN how the group transforms challenges into opportunities, balancing rapid expansion with personalization and efficiency.

Beatriz, who started as a coordinator and is now the group's engineering director, spoke about strategies for managing expansion projects and the obstacles overcome since the merger of the Alife and Família Nino groups in 2021.

Growth and Expansion

The Alife Nino Group has expanded, growing from 25 to 47 stores over the last 3 years. With new plans and acquisitions in sight, they want to accelerate this process to reach 87 units by the end of 2024.

In the bar sector, the group stands out for owning well-known brands such as Tatu Bola, Eu Tu Eles, Boa Praça, A Toca do Tatu, and Tatuzinho, and for restaurants, it gathers award-winning brands in Brazilian gastronomy, such as Nino, Da Marino, Giulietta, Ninetto Cuccina, among many others.

Focusing on highly customized projects for each store, the group had been facing challenges in scaling the volume of construction for opening new units. This strategy allowed each space to reflect a unique identity, but also resulted in significantly higher costs per unit due to a lack of construction and design standardization.

Now, with more aggressive expansion plans, the company is restructuring its engineering department to cope with the demand of the new projects.

Standardization Challenges

One of the main challenges faced by the Alife Nino Group in its expansion journey has been standardizing the stores without compromising the authenticity and uniqueness that each restaurant offers. The essence of the brand lies in ensuring that, despite growth and replication across multiple locations, each establishment maintains a distinct character that reflects the local culture and environment.

To address this challenge, a flexible standardization strategy was implemented, allowing controlled variations in decor and layout according to the particularities of each region. 

With this goal in mind, stricter criteria were adopted to standardize the stores without losing the essence of each location. They defined three store sizes - small, medium, and large - with clear specifications for square footage and seating capacity, adapted to the sales expectations of each unit.

Another change includes standardizing the list of equipment and materials used, ensuring consistency and quality throughout the network. This not only facilitated faster and more efficient expansion but also reduced operational costs.

The new approach ensures that all restaurants follow a quality and efficiency standard while retaining unique elements that set them apart. Continuous collaboration with designers and architects is crucial to ensuring that each new space is both a representation of the brand and a reflection of its surroundings.

Ultimately, the balance between uniformity and individuality is essential to preserving Alife Nino's identity as the network continues to expand. Through this methodology, the group is able not only to maintain the authenticity of its restaurants but also to strengthen its market presence, offering customers a differentiated experience with each visit.

Technological Innovation and Strategic Management

With Construct IN's solutions, the Alife Nino group significantly improved remote management. The platform's tools facilitated long-distance construction monitoring, allowing an effective comparison between the different phases of the project, which resulted in resource optimization and cost reduction. 

It also improved transparency in relations with third-party builders in various regions, as it allows for the documentation of the construction execution in 360º. This way, the group's engineering team, responsible for inspecting and monitoring the construction companies' work, can get a real view of the project's stage from afar, reducing the number of trips required for management, as well as reducing rework and identifying problems in the early stages. 

“Construct IN is a huge gain for us. Remote management makes our travel, transit, and even man-hour costs much lower. We can monitor the project without needing to travel to the field every week. It's a tool that has been helping immensely in management as a whole.” highlights Beatriz, the Group's engineering director.

Vision for the Future

In the end, the executive highlights the importance of an innovative and adaptive vision for continuous expansion, emphasizing the dynamism of the retail market. Alife Nino, although still growing, aims for a prominent position in the market, valuing each stage of its evolution.

The Alife Nino case study illustrates how effective management, aligned with innovation and sustainability, can transform challenges into opportunities for expansion and consolidation in the market.

Watch Beatriz's chat with our CEO, Tales Silva, and understand a bit more about the challenges faced and how the Alife Nino Group resolves them in a practical way.

The Retail Expansion Event

Retail Expansion is more than an event, it is a collaborative network whose purpose is to drive efficiency, innovation, Capex reduction, and excellence in the engineering, maintenance, and expansion sectors of retail and service companies. 

By bringing together executives from the field, we seek to discuss challenges, share best practices, and explore trends, all in an environment conducive to networking and exchanging experiences.

The 9th edition of Retail Expansion by Construct IN took place on March 20th at State Innovation - São Paulo, bringing together several professionals and executives from the construction sector of retail and expanding companies.

In addition to the presentation by the Alife Nino Group, the event brought more innovations with the participation of Proptech More.co, a company that offers modular property subscription plans, eliminating the need for capital for entrepreneurs and simplifying the construction process.


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