Grupo Gigante
Grupo Gigante (BMV: GIGANTE*) is a holding listed at Mexican Stock Exchange founded in 1962, enterpises includes: Office Depot, The Home Store, SuperPrecio and Toks, hypermarkets and supermarket are sold in 2008 to Soriana. Until december 2008, used to work with a joint venture with RadioShack.
History
- 1923: Comes from Spain to port of Veracruz, Ángel Losada Gómez; a 15-year-old who wanted to succeed in the business world.
- 1940: Angel Losada Gomez founded "La Comercial" in Apan, Hidalgo in the state, foundations of the current Giant. Currently, the store has Apan stay in the market under the name of “La Moderna”.
- 1962: Birth of the first store “Gigante” in Mixcoac, with 64 departments, 250 employees and 65 office store. Giant Mixcoac was placed as a convenience store Latin America's largest and second on the continent with 32,000 square feet (3,000 m2) of total area.
- 1971: The company diversified its activities by opening its first coffee family in Mexico City under the trade name of "Toks".
- 1971: The company diversified its activities by opening its first coffee family in Mexico City under the trade name of "Toks".
- 1977: In this year, Gigante can operate 12 stores.
- 1979: Gigante takes an important step, expanding into the Republic, being the first city Guadalajara province that was hit by Gigante commercial, with 8 stores. The Gigante slogan dates from this year.
- 1980: Gigante is added in Guadalajara, buying the supermarket Maxi. Between 1980 and 1990, it opened 9 stores in the cities of Querétaro, Celaya, Acapulco, Puebla, Salamanca and Morelia. For the late 80's already had 32 stores in operation in four different cities.
- 1981: Launches Gigante products Selección Gigante (own trademark).
- 1982: This year the company opened its first specialty restaurant. It now operates four specialty restaurants Mexican, Italian and Spanish: "El Campanario", "Tutto Bene", "La Viña del Quijote" and "Casa Rodrigo."
- 1988: Gigante expands to Monterrey, Saltillo, Torreon, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Durango, Ciudad Victoria, Matamoros, San Luis Potosí, Tijuana and Mexicali.
- 1991: Gigante can opens store number 100 in Toluca, becoming the first supermarket chain to achieve a hundred stores in operation, under one trade name.
- 1992: Grupo Gigante acquired stores "Blanco" and "El Sardinero; thus strengthening the national presence of Gigante. From the early 90's, Gigante developed various formats, like their co-investments:
- 2000: Gigante open market in the southeast of the country, with branches in Campeche, Yucatan, Tabasco, Chiapas and Quintana Roo. Starts the format “Super Gigante” with the first branch “Cumbres” in Monterrey city, as an evolution of the format "Super G".
- 2001: Gigante continues to expand its sales floor, adding to the chain stores “Super MAZ” in the Southeast.
- 2002: Grupo Gigante and PriceSmart opened its first four retail stores in the country wholesale, in a joint venture relationship.
- 2004: Opens with the shop “Coapa” a new concept of Gigante format.
- 2005: In February, for lack of profitability, are closed four PriceSmart stores in Mexico.
- 2007: Due to a new and creative strategic design group, Grupo Gigante supermarkets put on sale later this year Gigante. Organización Soriana purchase more than 50% of the Gigante stores, thus this concept to its management, including the branches in United States. Grupo Gigante keeps its joint ventures and shops “Super Precio” and designed its new “Gigante Grupo Inmobiliario” (Gigante Real Estate Group).
- 2008: Begins to operate, with the opening of the branch channel Tezontle Avenue in Mexico City, The Home Store format, dedicated to selling decorative items. Grupo Gigante sold to its partner, the Tandy Corporation U.S., its 50% of RadioShack stores in Mexico, specialized in selling electronics products.
See also