Relocating existing restaurants, strengthening the digital sales channel and identifying the areas where consumers are currently concentrated in order to choose the location of new stores are some of the strategies of the chains when executing their expansion plans.
As a result of the covid-19 outbreak, several expansion projects were affected, which must now reinvent themselves and adapt to the new commercial reality, in which consumers have different lifestyles.
Given the new business context in which print media have been hit in recent years by changes in habits and audiences are on multiple channels and digital platforms, marketing and advertising teams must reinvent themselves.
The most recent changes in lifestyle habits resulting from the spread of covid-19 have combined with the increased use of digital platforms, a phenomenon that was already evident before the pandemic.
At the end of January 2021, Nicaragua and El Salvador were the only two countries in the region where the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was similar to the figures reported before the pandemic.
As the months have gone by and in the context of the reactivation of commercial activities, more Central American consumers have visited locations identified as supermarkets and pharmacies.
Typical frozen foods, traditional beverages from the countries of origin and vacuum-packed fresh vegetables are some of the products that have sales growth potential in U.S. supermarket chains.
There are many opportunities for companies in the region, since it is estimated that two out of every three products placed on the shelves of U.S. supermarkets are of Latin American origin.
Products and services that allow companies to develop and implement applications anywhere, is one of the characteristics of technological solutions that in this new business reality are required for companies using the tools to be competitive.
With the outbreak of covid-19 and the restrictions imposed worldwide, the software industry was demanded, because in order to maintain the companies' operations, the implementation of technological solutions was required.
Brands offering a deeper and more emotional added value, delivering to their customers with immediacy and executing business strategies from a more local perspective are the most likely to succeed in this new commercial reality.
The outbreak of covid-19 and the mobility restrictions imposed by this pandemic significantly changed consumer behavior and perceptions of brands.
Arguing that the number of covid-19 cases decreased in recent days, the authorities decided that as of February 5, 2021, supermarkets, convenience stores, neighborhood stores, shopping centers and plazas, will be able to operate on a regular basis.
According to Ministerial Agreement 08-2021 of the Ministry of Public Health, as of January 26, shopping centers and plazas, supermarkets, convenience stores and neighborhood stores, could develop their activities until 7:00 pm.
Regarding what is expected economically for 2021, in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Honduras there is more optimism among consumers, while in Guatemala and Costa Rica the percentage of people who believe that the situation will improve this year is lower.
According to the survey conducted by Kantar to measure the perception of households in Central America, at regional level 12% of consumers consulted believe that the economic situation in their country will improve during 2021, 23% expect it to be the same and 65% predict that it will be worse.
The amount of visitors arrivals to Central America and the Dominican Republic shows a downward trend since 2016, which was consolidated in 2019 and worsened in 2020, a phenomenon that is explained by the events recorded in the extra-regional market.
Between 2015 and 2019, the countries of the SICA region, the average growth rate of visitor arrivals was 4.9%, where only in 2019 there was a negative rate of -0.2%, highlights a document of the Secretariat for Central American Tourism Integration (SITCA) published in January 2021.
The government and businessmen agree that 2021 will be a good year for construction, as the Bank of Guatemala projects that the sector will grow by 7.5%, while the builders' guild estimates that activity will increase by 3%.
According to official forecasts made by the central bank, it is estimated that during 2020, economic activity in the construction sector fell by 7.4% due to the crisis caused by the outbreak of covid-19.
Following the announcement of the restrictions imposed in Guatemala to mitigate the outbreak of covid-19, which contemplate the closing of restaurants after 9:00 pm, businessmen anticipate that sales will fall and that they will have to reduce the number of personnel hired.
During 2020, it is estimated that the average price of a ton of steel increased 19%, a rise that impacts the construction industry and is explained by the increase in logistics costs and the suspension of the extraction of the material due to the outbreak of covid-19.
Central American businessmen report that during last year, which was marked by the sanitary and economic crisis, the average price per ton of steel increased by $130, going from $670 to $800.
The use of predictive models based on artificial intelligence processes and automated collections are some of the changes that companies are already applying in this new reality to reduce operating, management and risk costs.
The spread of covid-19 changed the rules in almost all markets and business models, a situation that has affected the collections departments of companies, whose work teams are currently facing complex challenges.
In order to mitigate the spread of covid-19, as of January 26, shopping centers and malls, supermarkets, convenience stores and neighborhood stores, will be allowed to carry out their activities until 7:00 pm.
The January 26 edition of the Diario de Centroamerica published the Ministerial Agreement 08-2021 of the Ministry of Public Health, which details the restrictions imposed, which aim to mitigate the escalation of the number of cases of covid-19.
In the new commercial reality in which customers value food free of any virus or bacteria, producers and international distribution chains are forced to reinforce their safety systems to reduce the risk of selling contaminated products.
Months ago, it was reported that in China, processed and frozen meat products arriving from abroad were detected with the presence of the coronavirus. Although there is no conclusive evidence that the virus affects humans when consuming infected food, there is mistrust among people.
Recognized Brazilian company of backhoe loaders, telescopic, articulated and other types of cranes looking for companies interested in representing the brand and distributing their machinery in Central America and Mexico. The company manufactures and sells telescopic,...
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