Plaza Lama

Plaza Lama is one of the Dominican Republic's principal department-store and supermarket chains. Its roots reach back to 1929, when Palestinian immigrants Pedro Juan Lama and Afife Handal established the Lama company in San Pedro de Macorís. The business later moved to Santo Domingo, where it developed a stronger retail presence on Avenida Duarte during the 1940s. The Plaza Lama name emerged from the expansion of the family's original shoe business into a broader department-store format. Rather than concentrating on a single category, the retailer built its proposition around a wide assortment of household and consumer goods. Over time, the group opened additional department stores in Santo Domingo and in the cities of La Romana and Santiago, extending its reach beyond the capital. The wider Lama Group operates through several related businesses. These include Plaza Lama department stores, Súper Lama supermarkets, and ElectroLama stores specializing in electrical and household appliances. The group has also been associated with wholesale distribution, consumer-essentials supply, vehicle-related activities, natural-gas services through SGN (Soluciones en Gas Natural), and television channels. This portfolio gives the organization a broader role in Dominican commerce than a conventional department-store chain. The business remains family managed. Mario Lama Handal is identified as a leading manager of the company, with his children also involved in its administration. The combination of family ownership, multiple retail formats, and category expansion has allowed Plaza Lama to serve both household shoppers and broader consumer-goods demand in the Dominican Republic. Public reference material describes Plaza Lama as an active national retailer, but does not provide a fully documented current store count, detailed financial statements, or a complete corporate ownership structure. Reported descriptions of the group should therefore be read as a high-level account of its operations rather than as a definitive breakdown of every subsidiary or business line.

Plaza Lama developed from a family business founded in 1929 by Pedro Juan Lama and Afife Handal, Palestinian immigrants who established the Lama company in San Pedro de Macorís. The original enterprise formed the commercial foundation for the family's later retail activities. During the 1940s, the business relocated to Santo Domingo and established itself on Avenida Duarte. The move placed the company in the country's principal urban and commercial center and created the platform for later expansion. Mario Lama Handal subsequently founded Plaza Lama as the family business moved beyond its earlier emphasis on shoes and adopted a department-store model. The department-store concept enabled Plaza Lama to offer a wider range of merchandise under one retail identity. Additional stores were later opened in Santo Domingo and in the cities of La Romana and Santiago. The chain thereby developed a presence in several of the Dominican Republic's major population centers. The group's evolution continued through specialization and diversification. Súper Lama was developed as a supermarket format, while ElectroLama focused on electrical goods and appliances. The wider organization also became involved in wholesale distribution and the supply of consumer essentials. Other activities attributed to the Lama Group include vehicle-related businesses, natural-gas services through SGN (Soluciones en Gas Natural), and ownership or operation of two television channels. Management has remained associated with the Lama family. Mario Lama Handal and his children are described as managing the business, preserving the family-enterprise character of the organization while it operates across multiple commercial sectors. This structure distinguishes Plaza Lama from a narrowly defined department-store brand: the name sits within a larger group whose activities span retail, distribution, media, energy services, and other consumer-facing operations. Available reference material confirms the company's long history and broad business scope, but does not establish a complete chronology of store openings, product-format launches, leadership transitions, or current subsidiary ownership. It also does not provide sufficiently documented and time-specific financial data for inclusion in this dossier.

• 1940

  Relocation to Santo Domingo

  [1]Plaza Lamaen.wikipedia.org

  The business moved to Avenida Duarte in Santo Domingo during the 1940s, expanding its presence in the Dominican capital.

• 1929

  Lama company established

  [1]Plaza Lamaen.wikipedia.org

  Pedro Juan Lama and Afife Handal founded the Lama company in San Pedro de Macorís, establishing the family business from which Plaza Lama later developed.

• Expansion from footwear into department-store retail

  [1]Plaza Lamaen.wikipedia.org

  Under Mario Lama Handal, the family shoe business expanded into a broader department-store operation under the Plaza Lama name.

• Geographic expansion within the Dominican Republic

  [1]Plaza Lamaen.wikipedia.org

  Additional department stores were opened in Santo Domingo and in La Romana and Santiago.

• Development of related business formats

  [1]Plaza Lamaen.wikipedia.org

  The Lama Group broadened its activities through Súper Lama supermarkets, ElectroLama electrical-goods stores, wholesale distribution, and other related businesses.

A broad-assortment Dominican retail group combining department stores, supermarkets, and specialist appliance retail with wholesale and related consumer businesses.

• Department-store retail

  Plaza Lama department stores

  The core Plaza Lama format is a general department store offering a broad mix of household, consumer, and lifestyle merchandise. The format grew from the family's earlier shoe business and became the principal public-facing retail identity of the group. Stores have operated in Santo Domingo and in other major Dominican cities, including La Romana and Santiago.

• Supermarket retail

  Súper Lama

  Súper Lama is the group's supermarket format. It extends the Lama portfolio into grocery and everyday consumer essentials, complementing the broader assortment of the department stores and giving the group a dedicated food and household-provisions channel.

• Electrical goods and appliances

  ElectroLama

  ElectroLama is the group's specialist electrical-goods retail business. It focuses on appliances and related electrical or household equipment, providing a more category-specific format alongside the general merchandise offer of Plaza Lama department stores.

• Wholesale distribution

  Wholesale and consumer-essentials distribution

  The Lama Group is also described as participating in wholesale distribution and the supply of consumer essentials. Public reference material does not provide a complete product catalogue or a separate brand architecture for these activities.

• Natural-gas services

  SGN (Soluciones en Gas Natural)

  SGN, or Soluciones en Gas Natural, is identified as a related Lama Group business involved in natural-gas activities. The available material does not specify its full service portfolio, operating assets, or relationship to the Plaza Lama retail brand.

1. 1Plaza Lamaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Los 80 años de Plaza Lamahoy.com.do
3. 3Más que una tienda