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Large Commercial Venture Begins to Take Shape in Portoviejo and Promises to Transform Strategic Area of the City, with Major Private Investment, Thousands of Jobs Expected, and a Retail, Entertainment, and Services Complex Designed to Become the Largest Shopping Center in Manabí Province.
The construction of Capital Shopping, touted as the largest shopping center in Manabí province, began on March 2, 2026 in Portoviejo, Ecuador.
Located in the Villanueva sector, the project is set to occupy a land area of 4.3 hectares and represents one of the largest recent private bets for the commercial and urban expansion of the Manabí capital.
Million-Dollar Investment Drives New Commercial Hub
With an investment of over US$ 100 million, including the value of the land, the project was presented by local authorities and representatives from the Portoshops consortium as a milestone for the city’s economy.
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The forecast is that the construction will generate thousands of jobs throughout the building phase and future operations, while the municipality aims to transform the area surrounding the former Reales Tamarindos airport into a new business hub.
Land Preparation Marks the Start of Construction
The initial interventions focused on the removal of the existing asphalt, a stage carried out with the support of municipal machinery.
According to information released in Portoviejo, the milled material will be reused in road recovery services, as part of a strategy aimed at reusing materials and reducing costs in other urban infrastructure projects.
In addition to the removal of the asphalt layer, the land preparation marks the beginning of an estimated schedule of 24 months.
Local reports indicate that the structural phase will require the installation of more than 3,000 piles, with depths between 20 and 25 meters, which is deemed necessary to support the construction in an area that has previously undergone interventions related to the former airport.
At this early stage of the project, Mayor Javier Pincay participated in the official event alongside executives linked to the project.
On this occasion, the commitment to prioritize local hiring was reiterated, with the goal that 95% of the workforce employed during the construction phase be made up of workers from Portoviejo.
Structure of Capital Shopping Will Feature Stores, Cinemas, and Underground Parking
The Capital Shopping is planned to have around 120,000 to 121,000 square meters of construction, distributed across three levels, with 180 commercial spaces, eight cinema halls, and underground parking for more than a thousand vehicles.
The proposal combines retail, dining, leisure, and services in one complex, reinforcing the aim to establish Portoviejo as a regional hub for consumption and entertainment.
The venture is driven by business groups linked to Condado Shopping and Corporación Favorita, names already well-known in the Ecuadorian commercial sector.
The composition of the consortium helps explain the scale of the investment and the symbolic weight assigned to the project by local authorities, who view the construction as a sign of private confidence in the city’s growth.
Although the commercial appeal is at the center of the initiative, the project was also presented as part of a broader transformation of the urban space.
The shopping center will be the first major construction within the Villanueva business park, an area that has been promoted by the municipality as a vector for economic expansion, with the potential to attract new companies and increase the circulation of consumers and investors.
Job Creation Boosts Local Economy
The promise of job creation is one of the main arguments used to advocate for the venture.
At different stages of the project’s announcement, authorities and local outlets cited projections ranging from 2,500 direct and indirect jobs during construction to about 3,000 permanent positions in operation, which leads to a total of over 5,000 jobs throughout the lifecycle of the shopping center.
This data helps explain why the start of construction was treated in Portoviejo as an event with immediate economic impact.
In June 2025, when the municipality granted the construction license, the local administration had already classified the payment of fees and permits as a record revenue for this type of process.
At that time, the city hall also reported that the project was expected to begin in 2025, but the schedule was advanced to early March 2026.
Another relevant aspect is the circulation of resources in the city’s economy during the construction.
The expectation is for increased demand for services, suppliers, transportation of materials, and technical professionals, although some of the more specific inputs may need to be procured outside Portoviejo.
The municipality has been negotiating counterparts to expand the local impact of the project, such as prioritizing the hiring of workers and purchasing materials within the city whenever possible.
Project May Redefine Urban and Commercial Dynamics of Portoviejo
By presenting the Capital Shopping as the largest mall in Manabí, the municipal administration seeks to associate the project with a new phase of economic repositioning for Portoviejo.
The city aims to increase its share in the regional trade and strengthen its image as an attractive destination for private investments, in a context where major urban projects have started to be used as a showcase for competitiveness among medium-sized centers in Ecuador.
In this scenario, the shopping center ceases to be just a facility focused on consumption.
The venture functions as a piece of territorial reconfiguration, with the potential to alter commercial flows, enhance the value of nearby areas, and intensify the occupation surrounding the Villanueva business park.
Still, the concrete impact of this transformation will depend on the progress of the schedule, the adherence of brands to the project, and the complex’s ability to maintain the promised attractiveness beyond the initial phase of construction.
Aonde é esse shopping em que pais
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