He Success groupacquired by the Calleja group a little over a year ago, it had a 2024 challenger, although its income grew 6 % to $ 21.9 billion.
However, In conversation with Valora Analitik, Carlos Calleja, president of Grupo Success, said they are overcoming the difficult moments of the company. In addition, he said what are the plans for 2025 in Colombia and gave details about the transfer of the shares to the Colombian Stock Exchange.
How is the business of the success group in Colombia?
good. We are at a time of the year where we can say in a certain way that we are optimistic with the indicators we are seeing.
I took the time to speak with the leaders of the four main businesses of Grupo Success, one of which is the retail, not only physical stores, but the entire omnichannel theme; With yours, which is the credit card, which is a good consumption thermometer in the country.
I also talked to the leader of the real estate business, to talk about how Mall and in the shopping centers, which we are number one in the country, and with the person who leads Points Colombia, a program that is in one of three Colombian homes.
After conversations with them, all the data that happened to me tell me that we are leaving the crisis. A consumption is being seen before; This has to do with the decrease in interest rates and inflation that is helping to stimulate consumption and economy, but this also has to do with the quality offered.
What are the positive indicators?
For example, from yours it is seeing that default is going down and a growth of new cards; This is very important. We see people investing in consumer loans and productive credits more than before, betting on the economy, growth and responsible consumption.
Categories such as Electro and Textile are growing in double digit when a year ago it was the opposite because the economy was restricted.
In the retail we are seeing important indicators. In addition, Grupo Éxito is growing in market share, but I do not think we are the exception when we say that we are seeing a growth that makes us think that we must continue on this route investing and committed to the country.
And the business of shopping centers?
As for the issue of shopping centers, I spoke with Juan Lucas, who is the one who manages that business, and there is a 98.5 % occupancy; That is, we are full in shopping centers. People are looking for contracts to put their businesses, their shops, their stores, commit to the future to undertake.
We also measure the growth of that universe and project a double digit growth. This year, all those shops, beyond success, we will see positive numbers.
Also the loyalty program, which is growing a lot in users and shops that are being framed. All this tells me that you have to continue investing in Colombia. From the private sector we must do everything possible to move the country forward.
What are the successful group plans for 2025?
The biggest task that I think we have from the retail is to reinvest capital on the store platform that we have to take all stores to a standard of excellence that we can really feel proud.
For example, yesterday I spent all morning in southern Bogotá visiting stores and seeing how we can do to strengthen that platform. The company has 500 more points of sale. So, you have to reach all those points and raise them all.
This country’s success store is very nice, but not all are going to see how it is. Then, one looks in the mirror with reality lenses and says: In this we have to improve, and that entails an investment.
We are talking about an investment for 2025, not only in Copex of remodeling, but in technology and computer science and other things, about US $ 100 million alone in Colombia.
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What sectors are going to focus on investment?
And retail.
What expansion plans do they have?
We have in projects for the next 12 to 24 months the opening of about six or seven developing stores. But our main growth will also come from the same meters for the investment we are making on that platform.
And, in the retail sector, the growth of their same meters is the key indicator, the one who wants. So, we are very good, we will continue to open new stores, but to build an increasingly solid, strong and sustainable company we must raise the same platform that we have right now.
In the other countries how have they gone?
In El Salvador, excellent, we are going very well; That is the Matrix of Grupo Calleja and we continue to invest there, we continue to grow, same meters as also new openings.
In Uruguay, excellent; That does not mean that one has to seek to do things better today than yesterday and tomorrow better than today, but we are growing very healthy.
The challenge is Argentina, despite the fact that we macroeconomically we are seeing indicators improving and positive; Those in the short term have an impact on Argentine consumption.
When consumption lowers, because people are taking care of their pocket or because there are no longer the subsidies that were before, etc. In the short term, consumption and that is what happened last year in Argentina and follows this year a little, generates winds against.
That said, our commitment is the same as 1 year ago of continuing to strengthen that operation. I spent the whole week before Easter in Argentina visiting the classmates and the operation there, visiting the stores, talking with suppliers to see how we continue to invest and strengthen.
Before they were quoting in the New York and Brazil Stock Exchange and now they are doing it in Colombia, do they continue with that plan or do they think?
We are in the process of doing so in Colombia. All part of the reality that occurred when we made the acquisition; We acquired 88 % of the shares, that generated a situation in New York unsustainable, there was no liquidity there in action. So, it was not a natural market. Apart from that, he was cumbersome and involves a lot of other things. Brazil, in the same way.
Already with the vast majority of the actions in Colombia, it made it sense to see the possibility of seeing if we could concentrate liquidity in Colombia.
The decision for the good of all shareholders, including minority, was taken to bring those actions to Colombia and what we are looking for, doing the task well, building a better company, generating credibility and confidence for the company, is to be able to do an attractive company for the investor who wants to invest in Colombia.
Imagine that you can get 12 % or 13 % of the shares in the Colombian Stock Exchange. We have talked to the Colombian Stock Exchange; They are delighted to be successful and that we do almost like a new launch of the company in the Colombian Stock Exchange.
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What are you looking for with that?
The idea is with good results, with good governance; That this action becomes interesting for people who at some point had it, some institutional investors and others that went out over the years.
Already with the new management of the group and improving the company and strengthening it, The idea is to become a destination action for the investor who wants to invest in Colombia. That is a bit the strategy. I do not have the crystal ball of what will happen, but what I can assure you is that we will do the task in the best possible way.
Grupo Éxito is committed today, tomorrow and always with Colombia and Grupo Calleja came to stay in Colombia and we love to work in this country.
