The impact of the covid-19 crisis on the wholesale sector in Central America is predicted to be explained, to a greater extent, by the expected drop in trade in disposable items.
Once the Central American economies begin to return to normal, as the restriction and quarantine measures that have been taken to prevent the spread of the covid-19 are relaxed, household consumption patterns will have changed significantly.
For example, the demand for meals out of home will decrease by about 7% from the levels reported prior to the crisis.
If quarantine and mobility restriction measures are extended by two months, annualized demand for carton packaging in the region is forecast to decline by 9% in 2020, and if extended by three months, the decline could be as much as 13%.
The impact of the covid19 crisis on the construction sector in Central America is expected to be explained, to a greater extent, by the expected fall in the business of prefabricated steel structures.
Retail sales in the automotive sector in Central America are predicted to be significantly affected by the covid-19 crisis, which would be partially explained by the drop in tire sales.
This sector would be one of the least affected by the covid-19 crisis in Central America, which would be partly explained by the performance of bottled water sales and dairy marketing.
As a result of the crisis generated by the spread of the coronavirus, producers predict that the demand for tuna in Central America will grow by about 50%.
Representatives of the Spanish conglomerate Calvo Group, say that in Panama the inventory of tuna prepared for all of March was exhausted in three days, due to the health emergency that markets in the region are going through.
In Central America, it is estimated that the sectors that could expect a severe impact on sales in the coming months are Transport, Entertainment and some sub-sectors of Industry and Trade.
The "Information system for the Covid-19 Impact Analysis on Business", prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, measures the degree of impact that the crisis will have on companies according to their sector, during the coming months.
Recruiting the best staff to operate the points of sale and reducing the costs of the initial investments to set up a franchise are some of the challenges faced by franchisers, who expect better sales in 2020.
Access to financing, containment of operating costs, and maintaining profitability levels are other issues of concern to franchisors in Guatemala.
Because the transportation services provided by platforms like Uber cause people to increasingly question whether or not they need to buy a vehicle, vehicle dealers must face new challenges to keep up with sales.
The increase to $135 of the international price of the quintal is promising for the coffee sector, since in recent years producers have gone through severe crises because of the fall in the price of the grain.
According to figures from Bloomberg Markets, between mid-November and the first week of December the price of a quintal of coffee at the international level registered an important upturn, going from $100 to $135.
In its latest update of economic growth projections for 2019, ECLAC estimates that the Dominican Republic will close the year with a 5% increase, followed by Panama, which would reach a growth rate of 3.7%.
According to economic growth projections for Latin America, which were estimated by the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) and updated in November, the Dominican Republic will be the country in the region that will increase its production the most this year.
In a context in which the creation of digital records is increasing, investment in data analysis, technology and personnel becomes fundamental and essential to ensure the best possible performance in companies.
Advanced Analytics (AA), which can be executed from data from digital platforms, wireless sensors and millions of mobile phones, is transforming competition across multiple sectors by generating opportunities to capture value from improved decision making and comprehensive business transformation.
Except for Nicaragua, which projects a decline in revenues, Fitch Ratings estimates that by year-end the region's insurance markets will have grown from 3% to 8%.
According to the report Perspectives of Insurance Industry in Central America, prepared by the rating agency Fitch Ratings, El Salvador will be the market that in 2019 will register more dynamism in the region, reporting an 8% increase over revenues reported in 2018.
Last year, bottled water sales in Costa Rica were estimated at $89 million and they are expected to increase up to $106 million in 2023, a behavior explained by the downward trend in the consumption of carbonated beverages.
Although companies such as Florida Ice & Farm Co (Fifco) and Coca Cola Femsa have the opportunity to grow in the Costa Rican market, they will also face competition from new entrants such as Premium Brands.
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