After making a strategic alliance with the firm Dollarama, the business conglomerate plans to open 225 new stores dedicated to the sale of home and office goods in El Salvador, Guatemala and Colombia.
It was reported that the Canadian company Dollarama reached an agreement to acquire a 50.1% stake in the chain of stores of Salvadoran origin Dollarcity, in a transaction estimated at $85 million to $95 million.
Integral Fruits & Co., a company of Ecuadorian origin, plans to invest in the country close to $6 million in the construction of two aquaculture farms and the production of different types of fruit.
One of the projects that the company will execute will begin in mid-2020 and consists of the construction of a farm with 64 swimming pools dedicated to the cultivation of tilapia, white shrimp, snapper and cod.
The chain of hardware stores EPA will open from July 4th its fourth sales point, which will be in a shopping center in Zone 10 of the country's capital.
The company reported that in its new store that will be in Rambla 10 Shopping Center, will offer more than 15 thousand items distributed in 27 categories related to construction.
Luis de Sousa, general manager of EPA, told Prensalibre.com that "...
The Circle K chain of stores, originally from the United States, will open its first store on June 19, which will be in Zone 9 of the country's capital.
Grupo Intur, a business firm that already operates the chain of stores in Honduras and Costa Rica, reported that it will be in charge of investments in Guatemala and that the first point of sale will be in Plaza Asadis, Boulevard Liberation.
The restaurant chain specialized in Krispy Kreme donuts already has three sales points in Guatemala and plans to open its fourth store in the Portales Shopping Center in Zone 17.
In January of last year, it was reported that the chain opened its first restaurant with a capacity for 30 people in zone 15 of Guatemala and that its owners planned to open more stores during 2018.
To solve the congestion problem affecting Guatemala's port network, it is estimated that at least $133 million needs to be invested to improve the operations of current terminals.
The average standard for port operation is on average 50%, however, currently the country is reaching occupancy limits above 60%, which means that they are reaching congested points that make them less efficient.
To cover the demand projected by the transport sector for the 2016-2030 period, around 2.2% of GDP should be invested in infrastructure, but Central American countries allocate, on average, 1.8% of GDP.
According to the study "Achievements and Challenges of Central American Integration: ECLAC Contributions", between 2008 and 2015 Panama was the country that reported the highest average investment during the period in transport infrastructure with 3.68% of its GDP, followed by Honduras with 2.21% and Nicaragua with 1.99%.
For the IDB, investment in infrastructure is the most important priority when increasing the probability of improving productivity and reaching higher per capita income levels in the countries of the region.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) published its report "Building Opportunities for Growth in a Challenging World," in which it addresses the benefits of infrastructure investment and its influence on productivity growth in the countries of the region.
Guatemalan businessmen assure that the change from Stable to Negative made by Fitch Ratings in the country's risk perspective should be taken seriously, since investments could stagnate.
On April 11, Fitch announced that it maintained its "BB" rating for long-term foreign currency debt default, but decided to modify the outlook because the country reflects political tension and greater uncertainty in agents, as well as a constant erosion in the government's low tax collection.
Data from the Bank of Guatemala indicate that in 2018 the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) that attracted the country reached $1.032 million, $738 million lower than the $1.170 billion registered in 2017.
Data from the Bank of Guatemala indicate that in 2018 the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) that attracted the country reached $1.032 million, $738 million lower than the $1.170 billion registered in 2017.
Walmart plans to invest $48 million in Guatemala during 2019, of which $25 million will be used to open new stores and remodel existing ones.
According to information provided by representatives of Walmart, the investment projected for this year in the country will double that invested in 2018, since last year the amount disbursed totaled $24 million.
The latest risk ratings for the issuance of long-term debt of Central American economies identify Panama as the most attractive country to invest in.
On March 8, Moody's decided to raise its long-term issuer rating in foreign currency from Baa2 to Baa1, arguing that the outlook remains more favorable in the medium term.
In Izabal, Guatemala, 178 circular floating cages of 250 square meters each are expected to be built, which will be used to raise fish known as tilapias.
Mir-Yam Proyects, S.A. presented the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) to develop the project dedicated to aquaculture production, which will be located in the municipality of Estor, in Lake Izabal.
The Guatemalan exporters' guild is proposing a plan for the creation of 981.000 formal jobs in the next four years to the government by 2020.
The plan is called "Returning on Course to Create Formal Employment," and was developed by the Guatemalan Exporters Association (Agexport). The proposal includes three cross-cutting strategic axes: investment attraction, human talent, infrastructure and business facilitation.
Although in the U.S. the chain has closed more than 2,000 stores in recent years, representatives of the company dedicated to the marketing of footwear
plan to expand its market in Central America.
According to representatives of the chain of stores, during 2018 in Guatemala opened two stores in the capital, one in Quetzaltenango, another in Cobán and one more point of sale in Chiquimulilla.