Lopez to Launch Viva Movil, a Chain of Wireless Retail Stores

Jennifer Lopez is expanding her empire to include telecommunications…

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress, who recently released the music video for her latest collaboration with Pitbull Live It Up,” has announced the upcoming launch of a chain of cellphone stores that will be an authorized reseller of Verizon products.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez is the majority owner of Viva Movil, a project she began working on 18 months ago after Verizon reached out to her as part of its bid to target the Hispanic community, whose purchasing power is expected to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2015.

“It was an idea that excited me,” Lopez told Efe in an interview at an event in Las Vegas to announce plans to launch the wireless reseller.

Lopez said customers would be able to buy telephones, tablets and accessories via the getviva.com portal, directly on Facebook or at any of the 15 Viva Movil stores to be opened in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.

The “On The Floor” singer said the stores would cater to Hispanic customers, with a focus on the family.

“Latinos like to go shopping with the family and at our store there will be a kids play area. All the staff that work there will have to speak English and Spanish,” Lopez, who was involved in designing the stores and Viva Movil brand accessories such as smartphone cases, told Efe.

The first store will be opened at an undisclosed busy intersection in Manhattan on June 15.