Making decisions based on models that collect sociodemographic information of the area, characterizing the commercial environment of the possible locations of new stores and including data on the tastes and preferences of potential customers, reduces the risks of investments in the opening of new points of service.
The work teams and "data driven" companies, organizations that are based on the efficient use of data as the axis of all their processes, have found in the Commercial Intelligence and Geomarketing solutions, a possibility to reduce the risks in new investments associated with expansion plans and opening of new stores.
Specialty and department stores are the entities demanding the most space in commercial centers and malls in the capital.
The vacancy rate for Class A commercial property fell by 7.4% in the first half of 2013 to 4.8% in the second half of 2013, due to the fact that the rise in meters available in major shopping centers has been absorbed at a good pace, with many of those spaces being leased before the works are finished, reported a study by the real estate firm CBRE Panama.
The Bodytech chain of gyms is to open branches in Panama and Costa Rica.
The Colombian gym chain, Bodytech has announced that is preparing to go public and establish itself as a leader in the region. In the coming months it plans to reach Panama, Costa Rica and Ecuador.
Bodytech projected it will have 150 branches and 270,000 members in six countries in the region.
The Colombian coffee shop chain announced stores in Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
Elfinancierocr.com reports: "In Costa Rica, Juan Valdez will find a competitive market full of national and international brands such as Starbucks, Illy Gourmet, Saboreatéycafé and KafeHaus, among others."
"Juan Valdez is the only coffee chain in the world whose shareholders are the producers."
The third phase of Multiplaza Pacific Mall will open formally on 6 December with all the new commercial spaces having already been sold.
With the changes made in this third stage of development, the mall now has a profitable area of about 100 thousand square meters.
Panamaamerica.com.pa reports that "Just in time for the traditional shopping on Mothers Day, on Thursday December 6 Grupo Roble will formally inaugurated the third phase of Multiplaza Pacific Mall, which will house approximately 109 new stores featuring international brands, informed the the mall’s commercial and marketing manager, Jaravy Rosales, who added: "the third stage is fully commercialized, and shops that were already in the mall will move into this new phase"
This is the first of 10 branches that are planned to be opened over the next five years in Panama, by the company JV Panama SA, which owns the franchise.
The new Juan Valdez ® Coffee store will be located in the Trump Ocean Club International - Hotel & Tower Panama.
"Panama has become the tenth country where the Juan Valdez® brand has a presence. It represents an attractive market of great importance for the brand because of its concentration of tourism, per capita consumption of coffee, local economic growth and the widening of the port infrastructure promises to increase consumption through increased tourism and that the country expects in the next few years", reported Quepasapanama.com.
The company, with presence in 85 countries, announced it will open a branch in Panama City.
Fukurawa was founded in Japan in 1875, specializing in creation of electronic materials and chemicals, real estate, fuel, machinery and metals.
Laestrella.com.pa reports, “Minister Roberto Henriquez said the decision made by the Furukawa Company Ltd., to open offices in Panama, is in line with many other multinational companies which have recognized that in order to serve their markets in the Americas the connectivity, commercial facilities, social stability and the good economic policies provided by Panama, are hardly matched by other countries.”
The investment responds to a change in the branch infrastructure with greater movement in the country.
The head of HSBC Panama announced the investment, adding that, "it is work in progress. What we are seeking is to enable customers to get access to all the bank's services," reports Prensa.com.
The process includes an image change, fitment of more ATMs and improvements to the services available online via Internet banking.
The American toy company enters the Guatemalan market with the opening of a commercial location at Plaza Fontabella.
Cristóbal Véliz in his article published in Sigloxxi.com writes: "The company projects that between April and May they will open a second branch office of the Alex Store, which will be located in the Eskala Roosevelt shopping center, which will be having a grand opening soon.