Kobe Sushi & Rolls, a chain of Japanese-Ecuadorian fusion food, has opened its first location in Cuenca. It is located in the food court of the Mall del Río and employs a total of 17 people directly. The investment for this Kobe Sushi & Rolls location in Cuenca was USD 170,000.

Kobe Sushi & Rolls has a total of 20 restaurants throughout the country, with 13 in Quito, five in Guayaquil, one in Manta, and one in Cuenca.

Kobe Sushi & Rolls has been present in Ecuador since 2011 and is part of the group that also operates the NOE Sushi Bar brand.

Grupo Ortiz's forthcoming project will transform Cuenca's retail scene. The new 120,000 square meters mall will house top international brands.

Key facts:

• Construction of the mall is planned to start in January 2024.
• The opening is planned for the end of 2025.
• It will be located next to the Mall del Río (which is also owned by Grupo Ortiz) but on the other side of the highway that runs along this mall.
• The investment for this project is $ 40 million.
• The building will have an area of 120,000 square meters. For comparison: the Mall del Río has an area of 75,000 square meters.
• The mall will house large, international retailers. These retailers need large spaces that the existing malls in Cuenca cannot provide.
• The following retailers and restaurant are already confirmed: Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Victoria Secret, Bath & Body Works, MAC, Miniso, GMO, PASA, Roland, Steve Madden, The North Face, Tous, Areldi, Vatex, Gap, Old Navy, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Aldo, Bimba & Lola, Esprit, Parfois, Marathon, Explorer, Bike Shop, TLC Store, RCA Store, Samsung Store, L'Occitane, LC Waikiki, H&M, Mango, US Polo, Pandora, DePratti, Piccadilly Shoe Store, Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok, Starbucks, Sweet & Coffee, JUAN VALDEZ, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, Cajun, American Deli, Papa John's, Domino's, Pity's, Mayflower, Negroni, Fogo de Chao and Sports Planet.
• To be confirmed are: Cinemark, American Eagle, Baskin Robbins, Cinabbon, Mr. Joy, Call it Spring, Casa Res, Clarks, Claire's, Converse, El Corral, Penguin, The Athlete's Foot and Under Armour.
• The mall will also house a store of Hipermercados Coral, a chain of hypermarkets that is owned by Grupo Ortiz.

News outlet Cuenca4Ríos has reported that a group of people have started an open-air library in the park between the Yanuncay River and the Avenida Primero de Mayo near Las Tres Puentes in Cuenca. The project is called Bibliorío and more open-air libraries are planned. There are probably only Spanish books available but this may change in the future.