Big Data technological tools and spatial data play a very important role in business by measuring footfall and helping to understand consumer behavior patterns in any given area of interest or point of sale.
Between March and April, Walmart opened five new stores of the Palí format, located in Heredia, San José, Alajuela, Cartago and Guanacaste.
The supermarket chain informed that the company invested close to $6.7 million to open these five new stores. With these recent openings, there are now 181 points of sale of the Palí format.
In the first week of April 2021, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Guatemala were the countries in the region where the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was higher than the figures reported before the pandemic.
Over the course of the months and in the context of the reactivation of commercial activities, more Central American consumers have visited locations identified as supermarkets and pharmacies.
Finding out how many people live in the surroundings of the establishment, their income levels, their ages and their tastes and interests, is fundamental information to measure the potential of a supermarket's location.
Using the Geomarketing solutions we have developed for our clients, CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence team analyzed the environment of some of the main supermarket locations operating in Central American countries. Below is an excerpt of the study's findings.
After investing $17 million, Walmart opened a new store to the public on July 10, in the canton of San Pablo, province of Heredia.
This new location becomes the 14th store that the chain will operate under the Walmart format and for the operation of this supermarket, the company will hire 123 people, said the official statement.
In April, the Walmart chain invested nearly $8.5 million in the construction and opening of four new stores in Costa Rica.
The company reported that three sales points operate under the Pali format and are located in Ipis de Goicoechea, Guayabo de Bagaces and Dulce Nombre de Cartago. The other establishment operates under the brand Maxi Pali and is located in Los Guido, Desamparados.
Glovo, a company dedicated to home delivery, opened its first digital supermarket in the country, through which it will serve its customers located in San Jose.
The company reported that the supermarket will be available in the application already accessed by its customers and said the plan is that in the coming weeks will increase the number of products available.
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.
In Costa Rica about 30% of supermarkets are in San Jose, Guatemala, the metropolitan area concentrates 45% of establishments, while in Panama, 32% are in West Panama.
An analysis of the Trade Intelligence area of CentralAmericaData provides interesting results on where they are located, who they are, if they operate independently or if they belong to a chain or business group.
The growing influx of tourists in Guanacaste is one of the factors that is encouraging supermarket chains to increase the number of branches in the province.
The growing influx of international tourists to beaches in Guanacaste has increased the attractiveness of the province for the commercial sector, particularly supermarkets.According to Elfinancierocr.com,"...Super Compro (owned by Gessa) has 23 stores in Guanacaste, which makes it the chain with the most stores in the province, followed by Palí (Walmart) with 13 and Megasuper with 7."
The president of one of the largest supermarket chains in Costa Rica speaks about investments and the bureaucratic obstacles the sector has to deal with.
An article on Nacion.com contains quotes by Guillermo Alonso, president of Auto Mercado, who announced the investments to be made by the company in the coming years, noting that "... The truth is that we would like to go faster, but the block is the government and red tape that has left the company's growth plans stranded."
Walmart has announced that in the remainder of the year it will be investing in 25 new stores of various formats and remodeling others in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
From a statement issued by Walmart Mexico and Central America:
Walmart Mexico and Central America will be investing during 2015 about $264.7 million in the construction and remodeling of stores in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The chain of wholesale supermarkets Mayca has started operations in a new facility in the capital and is preparing for the opening of another one in Ciudad Quesada, outside the Greater Metropolitan Area.
The newly opened self-service store measures 432 square meters and is situated opposite the National Children's Hospital in San Jose. In relation to the store in Ciudad Quesada, San Carlos, there is still no definite date for its opening.
An average of 20% annual increase in sales has been reported by companies specializing in the distribution of food and beverages in bulk.
The market of wholesale supermarkets in Costa Rica continues to grow, mainly driven by the opening in recent years of convenience stores, bakeries, 'sodas' (small low end restaurants), restaurants and hotels. Some establishments have reported an average annual growth of 20% in sales.
The store chain for members only has opened its sixth location in the country, with an area of 21 thousand square meters.
This is the 18th branch of PriceSmart in Central America and the largest of all that have been established in Costa Rica. The property comprises of two levels and a parking lot for 320 vehicles.
"We have been operating in the country for 13 years.