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Posts Tagged Retail

Recent and upcoming investment

Apr 5

Posted by Tom in Economy, Energy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Energy: U.S. energy giant General Electric inaugurated an advanced research center in the central Mexican state of Queretaro.  The US$20 million facility, located close to one of Mexico’s leading aerospace clusters, will contribute to the design of airplane turbines and power generation systems.
  • Retail: Mexico’s leading retailer, Wal-Mart de Mexico, revealed plans to invest US$1.2 billion in Mexico in 2011.  The record-setting amount will help cover the opening of a projected 365 new retail locations across the company’s formats.
  • Electronics: German electronics manufacturer Siemens is investing a combined US50 million in new assembly and testing infrastructure in the central state of Queretaro.  The facilities will produce equipment for high voltage systems as well as contribute to new product development.
  • Manufacturing: Construction is underway on the fifth Mexico plant of Dutch lighting products manufacturer Philips.  The new facility, located in the northeastern city of Monterrey, is planned to produce lighting equipment for residential, industrial, commercial and municipal applications.
  • Transport: Kansas City Southern railroad’s Mexico subsidiary announced plans to invest US$125 million in upgrades this year.  The 2011 resources, an increase over 2010, are earmarked for infrastructure development, railway network maintenance and the purchase of equipment and technology.
  • Retail: Leading Mexican grocery and general merchandise chain Soriana will invest US$300 million to open new stores in 2011, the company announced.  Planned store openings include aggressive expansion of the chain’s downscale “Soriana Express” format.
  • Food processing: Food and beverage giant Pepsico will invest US$40 million in Mexico over the next seven years to expand the cultivation of sunflower.  Oil from the plants will be used in the production of the company’s baked goods under the brands Sabritas, Gamesa and Quaker. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Feb 9

Posted by Tom in Economy, Energy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Aviation: Mexican airline VivaAerobus will invest US$30 million this year to acquire eight Boeing 737-300 aircraft.  The principally domestic carrier will use the new planes to add domestic and possibly international routes as well.  VivaAerobus has expanded steadily since entering the market in 2006.
  • Automotive: U.S. automaker General Motors announced plans to invest US$540 million to expand production at its existing plant at Toluca, just west of Mexico City.  The added infrastructure will accommodate production of two new models of energy efficient engines.  GM is Mexico’s largest auto maker.
  • Energy: Spanish renewable energy developer Iberdrola plans to invest US$400 million in its Mexico operations through the end of 2012.  Iberdrola recently purchased an existing wind farm in southern Mexico from fellow Spanish energy firm Gamesa, and is currently building another wind farm in the same region.
  • Logistics: Hutchison Port Holdings will undertake US$200 million worth of expansion and upgrades at the Port of Lazaro Cardenas on Mexico’s Pacific coast this year.  Planned works include dock construction, addition of berths and expansion of switching and storage yards to handle cargo containers.
  • Aviation: Mexican domestic air carrier Interjet announced plans to invest over US$90 million over the coming two years.  The resources are earmarked for tripling the capacity of the airline’s maintenance center and acquiring a substantial number of new aircraft.  Interjet reportedly will become the first Latin American airline to use Sukhoi jets, of Ruso-European manufacture, on its scheduled routes.
  • Automotive: U.S. automaker General Motors will invest US$300 million to upgrade and adapt its manufacturing plant in the northeastern state of San Luís Potosí.  Expansion of the plant is intended to accommodate production of a new compact model not currently being built in Mexico.
  • Manufacturing: U.S.-based furniture manufacturer Furniture Brands is investing US$20 million to outfit an existing maquiladora plant in the southeastern state of Yucatan to produce cut-and-sew kits for its U.S. upholstery operations.  The facility is expected to initiate production in mid-2011. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Jan 11

Posted by Tom in Energy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Retail: Mexican franchise operating group Alsea announced plans to invest approximately US$400 million over the next five years to open new stores.  The licensee  in Mexico of brands such as Domino’s, Starbucks, Burger King and Chili’s, Alsea will also add locations in Chile, Argentina and Colombia.
  • Energy: Mexican industrial baking giant Grupo Bimbo announced the initiation of construction of a major wind farm in southern Mexico that is intended to supply nearly 100% of the company’s domestic electricity needs.  The majority of the US$200 million investment in the site will be supplied by Spanish renewable energy developer Renovalia, which will build and operate the facility.
  • Manufacturing: U.S.-based tile and floor covering materials producer Dal-Tile Corp. will invest US$111 million in a new manufacturing plant in the central city of Salamanca, Guanajuato.  The new facility, planned for construction in 2011, will become the second plant in Mexico operated by local subsidiary Daltile de México.
  • Recycling: Member companies of the Mexican plastic bag industry association (Inboplast) will invest over US$12 million in the development of 24 bag recycling plants beginning next year.  The plants are intended to take greater advantage of underutilized plastic in Mexico City’s enormous landfills.
  • Energy: Dubai-based alternative energy developers Rubenius announced plans to invest up to US$4 billion to construct a large scale energy storage facility in Mexicali, Mexico near the U.S. border.  The site is planned to store 1,000 Mw of solar, wind and geothermal energy for distribution to grids in both Mexico and the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Dec 2

Posted by Tom in Energy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Retail: Grocery and general merchandise retailer Grupo Chedraui revealed plans to double its stores in Mexico to 280 in the coming years.   The chain, now third largest in its sector in the country, has grown rapidly in recent years and currently operates 143 retail locations.
  • Logistics: Mexican logistics and transport firm Grupo Transportación Marítima Mexicana (TMM) will begin construction in 2011 on a new multimodal terminal at the Port of Tuxpan, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.  The US$350 million facility is planned to handle liquid, solid and container cargo.
  • Energy: Eoliatec de Mexico, subsidiary of Spain’s Eolia Renovables, signed contracts with communal farmers in Jalisco helping to clear the way for the development of the state’s first wind farm.  The firm projects investment of US$185 million in the electricity generation facility with a capacity of 60Mw.
  • Manufacturing: Brazil-based Embraco, a manufacturer of refrigeration compressors, announced plans to begin manufacturing at a new plant in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon in 2011.  The US$90 million investment will allow the company to serve Mexico’s refrigerator manufacturers via domestic production, in addition to exporting to the United States and Canada.
  • Biofuel: A new bio-diesel plant is currently under construction in the southeastern state of Chiapas, set to begin production in early 2011.  The US$3.5 million dollar facility, financed jointly by various federal government agencies, will use locally grown African palm and jatropha to produce diesel fuel to supply public transportation systems in the cities of Tuxtla Gutierrez and Tapachula in the state. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Nov 4

Posted by Tom in Economy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Steel: European and Japanese steelmakers Ternium and Nippon Steel Corp., respectively, announced an alliance to build and operate a new steel manufacturing plant outside Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.  Projected to come on line in 2013, the plant will produce galvanized steel sheeting for the automotive industry.
  • Aerospace: Canadian aerospace giant Bombardier inaugurated a US$250 million expansion to its manufacturing complex in the central state of Queretaro this month.  The new facility will produce fuselages and electrical components for the company’s Learjet 85 model aircraft.
  • Retail: Office products retailer Office Depot de México revealed ambitious plans to continue its expansion into the Central and South American markets.  The company, which currently operates sales locations in Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras in addition to its 188 stores in Mexico, is projecting US$50 million in investment to open 50 new stores in Colombia during the next five years.
  • Manufacturing: U.S. sports equipment manufacturer Easton Bell Sports will invest US$50 million to open a production plant in Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon.  The company, which produces sports headgear for the NFL, MLB and NHL, initially will manufacture football helmets at the new plant for export to the United States.
  • Telecommunications: Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), Mexico’s largest fixed telephone and internet service provider, estimated investment in network and internet infrastructure upgrades at over US$880 million in 2009 and 2010.  The company plans to continue investing in internet infrastructure despite a slight decrease in the strong pace of growth in recent years. Read the rest of this entry »

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Notes on the Mexican retail sector

Sep 17

Posted by Tom in Economy, Uncategorized | No Comments

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You gettin' some?

You gettin' some?

Mexico’s retail sector, a key bellwether for the health of the domestic economy, took a severe beating in 2009.  In the space of a few months, economic activity was affected by the international recession, the influenza outbreak, drug violence and drought.  Fortunately, varying degrees of recovery in the United States spurred some rather healthy signs of economic revival in Mexico as well.  General merchandise and specialty store chains such as Wal-Mart, Soriana and Coppel reactivated expansion plans in 2010, and through July of this year, overall retail sales were up 9.2% over the same period for 2009, according to the ANTAD retailers association. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Apr 7

Posted by Tom in Economy, Investment, Manufacturing | 1 Comment

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Steel:  Mexico’s steel manufacturing industry chamber of commerce Canacero projected investments of US$10 billion over the next five years to significantly boost production in the sector.  Canacero estimates production will increase 13.5% this year over 2009, when output dropped significantly.
  • Airports: The Mexican Ministry of Transport (SCT) announced plans for three new airports to be constructed in 2010, with investment of US$36 million.  The local airport developments are planned for La Pesca in the northeast and the tourist sites Creel in the north and Palenque in the south.
  • Transport: Inter-city bus operator Grupo IAMSA reported it plans to add 300 new luxury buses to its fleet this year.  The US$100 million investment is slated to go primarily to Volvo for the new buses.
  • Aerospace: French aerospace manufacturer Grupo Safran inaugurated two new plants in an aerospace park in the central state of Queretaro, site one of Mexico’s leading aerospace clusters.  The approximately US$150 million investment set up plants for Safran’s affiliates Messier-Dowty and Snecma to produce jet engine parts and undercarriages.
  • Solar power: BP Solar, the solar technology subsidiary of Great Britain-based energy giant BP, announced plans to subcontract the assembly of solar modules with Jabil Circuit in Chihuahua, northern Mexico.  Plans call for producing modules with a combined capacity of 45 MW, with the possibility for expansion as demand dictates. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Feb 26

Posted by Tom in Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Plastics:  The Manufacturing Industry Chamber of Nuevo Leon (Caintra) announced an initial US$1 million investment to build the Mexican Institute for Technological Innovation in Plastic and Rubber in the Monterrey area.
  • Electronics: IBM formally inaugurated new manufacturing installations in Jalisco developed at an estimated cost of US$20 million.  The facilities are intended specifically for the production of IBM’s high-end XIV Storage Systems for export to the United States, Europe and other areas.
  • Toys: Spanish toy manufacturer and retailer Imaginarium announced ambitious plans to expand operations in Mexico with an initial investment of US$1.6 million.  The company plans to open over 40 new retail locations in the country by 2013, in addition to potentially manufacturing in Mexico.
  • Retail: Despite underwhelming economic recovery, Mexico’s top retailer Wal-Mart de Mexico announced plans to invest over US$900 million this year.  The plans include the opening of 300 new locations across the company’s various retail formats and the remodeling of existing stores.
  • Mining: Canadian mining company First MajesticSilver Corp. opened a mineral processing plant in the northern state of Coahuila in late 2009.  The US$22 million plant will produce gold and silver. Read the rest of this entry »

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