SINCE 1921 February 2000 BUSINESS NEWS THE MANUFACTURING CONFECTIONER — The Business Magazine of the Global Sweet Goods Industry Companies in the News Ahold expands in Central & South America, Portugal & Spain ADM . 8 Central America total selling space of approximately 255,000 Austin Quality Foods Inc. 13 Royal Ahold of the Netherlands and La square meters, an increase of 66 percent over Balance Bar . 13 Fragua, a supermarket and hypermarket com- year-end 1998. Disco-Ahold also holds a Barry Callebaut . 8 pany in the Central American republics of 65 percent stake in the Santa Isabel chain, Bompreço . 7 Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, have which operates 90 stores. Cantalou . 8 signed an agreement to jointly expand the Royal Ahold operates nearly 4,000 super- Cargill . 8 retail activities of La Fragua in the region. markets in the U.S., Europe, Latin Amer- Cemoi . 8 Disco S.A. 7 The companies recently announced the for- ica and Asia, with 1999 sales of Feira Nova . 7 mation of a new 50/50 joint venture into approximately US$35 billion. Latin Amer- Fruibel . 8 which La Fragua brings all of its 119 stores ican operations account for approximately Jerónimo Martins . 7 with 1999 sales of approximately 10 percent of worldwide sales. Just Born, Inc. 13 US$535 million. Spain and Portugal Kampio . 7 Ahold is already positioned in Latin Food retailers Jerónimo Martins in Portu- Keebler Foods Co. 13 America through its joint ventures with gal and Royal Ahold in the Netherlands Kraft Foods . 13 local partners Disco (in Argentina), Bom- are currently in discussion to extend and La Fragua . 7 preço (in Brazil) and Santa Isabel (in Chile, enlarge their joint venture operations. The Mars . 9 Peru, Paraguay and Ecuador). two companies jointly own Jerónimo Mar- Mars Holland . 13 La Fragua was founded in 1928 and Micao . 8 tins Retail (JMR) in Portugal with 1999 opened the first Central American super- € Nestlé . 8 consolidated sales of 1.38 billion. OCG Cacao . 8 market in 1959. The Paiz family in The boards of Jerónimo Martins and Pingo Doce . 7 Guatemala holds an 80.4 percent interest Royal Ahold intend to establish a new Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory . 8 in the company. La Fragua operates 93 50/50 joint venture which includes the Royal Ahold . 7 supermarkets, hypermarkets and discount current operations of JMR in Portugal: Saco . 8 stores in Guatemala, 20 stores in El Salvador Pingo Doce supermarkets, Feira Nova Santa Isabel . 7 and 6 in Honduras. These 119 stores com- hypermarkets and JMR’s interest in Sé Supermarkets . 7 prise 26 supermarkets, four hypermarkets, Madeira, its Polish operations and its Sé Supermercados Ekono S.A. 7 83 discount stores and 6 others. Supermarkets in Brazil as well as Ahold’s Tootsie Roll Industries . 9 South America operations in the Czech Republic, Poland Unicao . 8 Disco S.A., the Argentine supermarket and Spain. chain 90 percent owned by the 50/50 The new joint venture company will joint venture Disco-Ahold International have access to Ahold’s European and global Holdings, has agreed to acquire 100 per- network designed to achieve the maximum cent of the outstanding shares of Super- benefits of economies of scale. mercados Ekono S.A. Kampio, a regional supermarket chain in In the capital city Buenos Aires, Ekono Spain, and Royal Ahold recently announced operates 10 large supermarkets with annual an agreement under which Ahold acquires sales of approximately US$165 million. all outstanding shares of Kampio. The chain Disco has annualized sales of approxi- operates 39 large supermarkets with sales of mately US$1.7 billion. It has purchased the approximately €100 million. Ekono stores for a total of US$150 million. Including Kampio, Ahold operates 220 The acquisition brings the number of stores stores in Spain with annualized sales of in Argentina operated by Disco to 220, with approximately €500 million. The Manufacturing Confectioner • February 2000 7.