News

Santiago. SMU, controlled by businessman Álvaro Saieh, finalized today the acquisition of 100% of Alvi Supermercados Mayoristas, previously owned by the Villablanca family in partnership with Wal-Mart Chile, with 65% and 35% of the company shares, respectively.



"This acquisition not only strengthens our group in the wholesale sector, but also marks our arrival in Peru, a market offering great opportunities for development," said the company in a press release.



In Peru, Alvi had 11 stores under the Mayorsa brand, now part of the Saieh Group.



With this transaction, the group that owns CorpBanca and Supermercados Unimarc has become the main player in the wholesale segment, where it already has a presence through the Mayorista 10 groceries stores.



According to estimates by some members of the association of suppliers Asociación Gremial de Industrias Proveedoras (AGIP), the company is, individually, the third largest operator in this business segment with a 19% share, after Rabié (22%) and Mayorista 10 (22%).



Of the 29 outlets managed by Alvi, 17 are located in the Metropolitan Region where, up to now, SMU has had a modest presence.



This geographical complementarity is supplemented with the outlets of Dipac, an Alvi subsidiary strategically focused on order taking and distribution of goods to retail stores and restaurants.



In 2009, Alvi reported sales for US$290 million with a total of 29 stores distributed across the regions of Coquimbo and Los Lagos.





Source: Terra/América Economía - EMOL