Latin America News & Analysis

Casino-owned, Brazil-based GPA has announced second quarter net sales rose by 13.4% to BRL15.2 billion (USD6.8 billion), aided by a positive calendar impact, continuing high inflation in the country and the addition of 116 new stores in the last year. Food outperforms for GPA GPA said that while net sales for the total business rose by 13.4%, they were up by 14.5% at its food businesses, Mu...

Luis Fernando Gallo, CEO of PriceSmart in Colombia, has spoken of the wholesaler's plans ahead of its first store opening in Bogotá. Store will have differentiating features The Bogotá store will be 11,667 sq m and will be located on the corner of Calle 25 and Avenida Boyacá. Potential members can already begin registering before the store opens in November. It will hold 2,500 national and ...

Seven & I Holdings has reported a 7.9% increase in revenue and a 5.1% increase in operating income for the three months ended 31 May 2014, the first quarter of its FY2015 fiscal year. Convenience driving increases in operating income Operating income increases were mainly driven by increased profits in convenience operations. Same store sales improvements were a key factor in the growth a...

In an interview in the Economic Daily newspaper Jerónimo Martins’s CEO, Pedro Soares dos Santos, discussed the retailer’s development plans for Colombia. Retailer looking to double store numbers in market in 2014 Pedro Soares dos Santos said that Jerónimo Martins had opened eight Ara stores in the first half of 2014 and was planning to add a further 42 before the end of the year, a feat tha...

Belmiro Gomes, responsible for cash & carry at GPA, has revealed plans to open 40 Assaí stores over the next three years, and to enter new states in Brazil. Dynamic and fast-growing format Mr Gomes has been in charge of Assaí since 2010, when he began a process to overhaul the atacarejo stores - cafés have been added, aisles are wider - to make the shopping experience more enjoyable. The st...

Venezuelan retailer Abastos Bicentenario has agreed to enter into strategic partnerships with agricultural producers. Aim is to support food production The state-run store network has agreed 11 partnerships with producers. The first is with the co-operative association Altos de Uribante, from Táchira state, which has almost 18,000 producers. The aim is to support national food production, ...

The first Minuto Pão de Açúcar store, a 300 sq m outlet, has opened in São Paulo this week (16 June); GPA reportedly targets 15 by year-end.  Complements Minimercado Extra neighbourhood format The store, in Rua Pamplona, carries 5,000 products. It is targeted at more affluent, AB consumers, who are making daily shopping trips. The store will also have an added service element, in the form ...

We round up the latest news on Carrefour, including expansion plans. Europe: new stores in Romania and Spain, price guarantee in France Carrefour is expanding in Romania via the franchise method. It has opened six convenience stores under the Contact fascia in rural areas of the country. Online, it is now allowing cash-on-delivery for orders. According to e-commerce director Radu Butufei, o...

Untitled 1 p.MsoNormal {margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; } Walmart has appointed Judith McKenna as Chief Development Office for Walmart US, with responsibility for new formats and the integration of digital commerce into existing formats. The retailer has also announced the ap...

Speaking at Walmart’s Annual General Meeting, the retailer’s President & CEO, Doug McMillon, outlined his vision for the company, focusing on being customer driven, investing in people and being at the forefront of innovation and technology. Picking up the pace of change to better focus on shoppers In what was his first AGM as CEO, McMillon delivered an upbeat and visionary message for Wal...