Latin America News & Analysis

We bring you two seasonal innovations from Brazil to whet your appetite for the upcoming summer season. Keep track of your children on the beach Nivea's 'Anúncio Protetor' consists of a detachable strip on a Nivea magazine advertisement. Parents put this strip on their child's wrist and use their phone to set the distance they want to allow the child to roam. When the child exceeds this di...

Brazilian drugstore operator RaiaDrogasil has reported gross revenue growth of 19.5% for the first quarter of 2014 (ended 31 March), and an increase of 12.7% for same store sales. Q1 2014 was "a significant improvement" over Q1 2013 Growth for mature stores was +7.6% in the quarter. Excluding stores that were closed or temporarily suspended over the past year, revenue growth was +21.7%. ...

Latin American e-commerce operator MercadoLibre has reported net revenue growth of 12.3% for the first quarter of 2014, year-on-year, in US dollar terms. In local currencies, net revenues were up 50% (+39% excluding Venezuela). Continued to strengthen in Q1 Items sold on MercadoLibre in the first quarter increased by 20% to 21.7m. Mobile is becoming increasingly important, doubling its yea...

Casino Group has announced a project to create an ecommerce platform combining its Cdiscount businesses in France, Colombia and Asia, and Nova Pontocom in Brazil. Creating major ecommerce pure player Casino said the transaction would create a global ecommerce operator with total business volumes of $4.1bn in 2013. It is under consideration by the parties involved and will be submitted for app...

DIA has reported a fall of 2.1% in gross sales under banner for Q1 2014 (+9.5% in local currency), and confirmed that it has begun a process to sell its operations in France. Divesting France to focus on core markets DIA's French stores have been struggling for some time and Mr Currás said divestment was in the best interests of shareholders, employees and franchisees, allowing the retailer ...

Alliance Boots has announced the acquisition of pharmacy retail chain Farmacias Ahumada (“FASA”) in Latin America. Transaction to be completed by Q3 2014 Farmacias Ahumada comprises of two main businesses, representing over 1,400 stores, with combined revenue of £835m. Both businesses are well established: Farmacias Benavides ranks third as the largest pharmacy chain in Mexico. It has aro...

We recently visited Mexico City, where we saw how Mexican retailers Chedraui and Comerci are tapping into the premium market. Selecto Chedraui: focus on foodservice We visited this Selecto Chedraui supermarket in the Centro Santa Fe, which claims to be the largest shopping mall in Mexico. The mall is located in one of Mexico City's major business districts, on the western side. One of the ...

As FEMSA Comercio, operator of Oxxo, reports 12.3% revenue growth for Q1, we look at Comercial Mexicana and Chedraui's first quarter results and also reveal a new format under test by Chedraui. FEMSA reports 'encouraging' first quarter, trialling US store Alongside total revenue growth, income from operations growth was 6.6%, reflecting the opening of 1,120 new stores and stable same store sa...

In the first of what will become a regular series of updates in 2014, we look at how retailers have fared in the first quarter, expansion plans for the year, and other news. Mixed start to 2014 for retailers GPA Food reported an 11.4% increase in net sales for the first quarter, with new stores one of the main contributors to growth. The wholesale business, Assaí, continues to outperf...

Éxito has reported net revenue growth of 1.3% for the three months ended 31 March 2014, with same store sales up 1.6%. Calendar effect hits revenue growth Éxito's first quarter net revenue growth included an overall decrease in same store sales of 2.1%, derived from an increase of 5.9% in Uruguay (local currency) and -3.2% in Colombia. Excluding this, same store sales were up 1.6%, which Éxit...