Latin America News & Analysis

GPA's president, Ronaldo Iabrudi, has said investments for 2015 should be "near or slightly above" the levels of 2014. Sustainable expansion is core focus Speaking to analysts, Mr Iabrudi said 2014 had been a complex and challenging year, however he is optimistic of ending the year well.  Investment in 2015 is likely to remain around the R$1.7bn - R$1.8bn mark (US$684 - US$725m) and will i...

Portugal-based Jerónimo Martins has announced results for the third quarter saying that sales rose 7.3% to €3.3 billion, with growth driven by its Biedronka chain in Poland. However, the retailer noted that the increase in sales came ‘despite food deflation’, which ‘increased pressure on sales value and profitability’, with net profit falling by 20.0% to €92.0 million. Pace of food deflation q...

We look at how retailers across Latin America have fared since the end of July, including latest channel trends, financial performance and other developments. Tough conditions, but leading retailers performing well In their third quarters, Carrefour continued its strong performances in Latin America, while GPA had to face some tough comparatives against the same period a year ea...

Boasting Latin America's third biggest population and strong economic growth prospects, we look at how Colombia is emerging as a market of opportunity. An emerging force in Latin America In the past Colombia hasn't had the best track record. But the country as a whole is on the up. Bogotá sits as the fulcrum for much of this investment, though investors are starting to look more at other p...

Grupo Éxito has reported consolidated like-for-like growth of 0.2% for Q3 2014, with an increase of 11.2% in Uruguay and a decrease of 0.2% in Colombia (local currency). Consolidated net revenues were up 4.1%. Driving growth with convenience and online Éxito is market leader in Colombia with its multiformat and multichannel strategy. It has enjoyed great success with smaller stores and with...

Spain-based DIA has announced third quarter results saying net sales rose 0.3% to €2.0 billion, although without the effects of foreign exchange, sales rose by 7.2% in local currency terms. The retailer said that flat sales growth had been generated despite ‘ a very deflationary environment, with deflation being especially high in some key categories for DIA ’. DIA continues to grow share in m...

Brazilian shoppers are looking for deals again, as the tough economic conditions continue, and are seeking more promotions to add excitement to their shopping trip. In such a promotional environment, creating and retaining customer loyalty becomes even more important. We look at four ways in which retailers in Brazil are building relationships. 1. Cultivating the multichannel shopper GPA's...

As it reported Q3 results, Walmex announced that CEO Scot Rank will retire at the start of 2015. Rank played key role in Bodega development Scot Rank had already expressed a desire to retire at the start of next year, following five years as CEO and five as chief operating officer. He helped drive creation of the Bodega Aurrera and Bodega Aurrera Express discount formats which, as we hav...

Carrefour has reported consolidated sales growth of 2.8% for Q3, on an organic basis, with improvements in overall sales for France and an "excellent performance" in Latin America. Further sales improvement in France Carrefour reported further growth in France in Q3, against strong comparables of +2%, and despite poor weather and fresh produce price deflation which Casino said earlier ...

At its annual investors meeting this week, Walmart provided an update on the strategic priorities for its US stores operation, Sam’s Club, international, global ecommerce and the business as a whole. We outline the key takeaways from this important update. The future vision is guiding investment decisions While there are short term issues to fix within its US and internation...