Its expansion plans include a store in Antigua's airport, two in Peru and one in Chile.
The company is also analyzing opening a coffee toasting plant in Cancún, Mexico, in order to strengthen its presence in that country.
Journalist Mercedes Aguero reports for Nacion.com: " ... it is also bidding for two other airport store concessions in the Caribbean, and looking to open eight stores in Costa Rica".
Under the "Pali" brand, Wal-Mart inaugurated supermarkets in Coto Brus, Puerto Viejo de Limón and Nandayure, Guanacaste.
With these three new stores opened in June, Wal-Mart now has 127 "Pali" stores in Costa Rica.
From La Prensa Libre´s website: "Each now opening generates direct jobs in the communities,... These three new stores will have convenience products, apparel, groceries, butcher's shop, as well as personal care and general merchandise".
The first Costa Rican store of the salvadoran group will open in November 2009, hiring over 300 employees.
In an interview with Nacion.com, Ricardo Simán, president of "Tiendas Simán", speaks about the new store they will open in the fifth stage of Grupo Roble's Multiplaza Escazú, in November of this year.
The executive commented: "We hope to earn the preference of the Costa Rican consumer, taking advantage of the proposal made by Grupo Roble to become the anchor store of the fifth stage of Multiplaza Escazú.
Beleki is making preparations to bring the franchise to the region; Guatemala and Panama are sites of greatest advancements.
As a first step, the Mexican business is registering the brand in order to be used later. Beleki already has letters of intents signed by investors in Guatemala and Panama.
The Mexican chain is also developing its plan for expanding into the United States.
The company is currently installing two new stores in the resort Hotel Paradisus Playa Conchal in Guanacaste.
The economic crisis has indeed caused a decline in the arrival of tourists to the Hotel Paradisus Playa Conchal resort, but the General Manager of Café Britt, Pablo Vargas, is “convinced that once the crisis ends the harvest from the current investments will bring better fruits,” according to Elfinancierocr.com.
Ferretería EPA, a company financed with Venezuelan capital, hopes to inaugurate its third establishment in Costa Rica by November 2009.
The Ferretería EPA chain is investing $14 million in the construction of a 30,000 square meter location in Belen, in the province of Heredia. Depending on the results of the new store, the company plans to open two more locations in the metropolitan area in the medium- and long-term.
As the sixth store opens at the Santiago airport, plans to open the first location in Antigua island is coming together.
With an investment of $1 million, the Costa Rican company, Coffee Britt, inaugurated a store called "Rumbo Sur" at the Santiago, Chile airport two weeks ago. The store is 260 square meters, and it is situated next to a 60 square meters mini-market.
The chain has just invested $3 million in two new locations and it is planning the construction of two more stores for the coming months.
In December, Juguetrías Toys opened a store of 400 square meters in Escazú. For June 25th, the business has planned the inauguration of an exhibition room that was constructed along with a storage space of 7,000 square meters, which required an investment of $1.6 million.
With an investment of $2.4 million, they are building a new Play store in Escazú, and it is expect to be ready in October 2009.
The new Play consumer electronics store in Escazú, the third with this format that M Group has in Costa Rica, will be aimed at a niche market with high purchasing power.
Company president Carlos Federico Monge told Elfinancierocr.com that Play is a store concept that is unique in the region, since it operates as a reference business for electronic products. The store in Escazú 'will be the largest (2,400 square meters for sales, warehouses and parking space) and the best in Central America due to its design and consumer interactivity,’ he said."
Hewlett Parckard opened its first store in the country in Heredia and it is planning another opening late in the year.
It is located in the Paseo de las Flores Mall in Heredia and it offers a wide range of products.
Charles Lamb wrote in the El Financiero website: "This new store joins the network of HP Stores in Central America in partnership with B-Mart Group, which began operations in late December.
The supermarket chain is plannning to open 22 stores during 2009 in Central America, generating about 1,000 job openings.
The press release published by Siglo 21 on its website states: "In a year when the region's economic environment is showing itself to be extremely challenging, this level of growth and investment demonstrates the company's commitment to the welfare of Central American families, with a greater operating efficiency that will allow it to continue offering the lowest prices to its customers."
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.
Sony Inter-American (SIA) has decided to open an office in the country due to the development of the electronics sector in the Guatemalan market.
During an interview with the Prensa Libre daily, Richard Fairest, president of SIA, talked about the reasons for opening offices in the country and about their plans for the future.
The Spanish chain Inditex expanded its textile empire to the Oakland Mall where on Thursday it inaugurated its new Stradivarius and Massimo Dutti formats.
Alejandro Azurdia, Stradivarious manager, explained that the Inditex group stores are geared towards particular tastes and life styles: "Pull and Bear is for urban youth, Bershka is for fashion youth, Zara has a wider appeal.