Makro takes advantage of the foreign exchange and increases purchases for Christmas
DCI
The more attractive foreign exchange rates helped the biggest wholesaler of the Country, Makro, to invest more in the purchase of imported products, which will very soon be for sale on the shelves of the 69 units of the company. For this Christmas, the expectation is that items like beverages, perishable goods and non-food products have an increase in sales during the most fertile period of sales for the commerce. According to Rubens Batista Júnior, CEO of the chain that belongs to Dutch company SHV, the negotiations with national suppliers are also advanced.
After accounting nearly R$ 5 billion (US$ 2.6 billion) in profits last year, the company reduced to up to 13% the growth goal for the year that was previously estimated at 20%. "The depreciation of the price of the commodities and the fall of the sales of non-food products due to the crisis made us review some figures", said Batista Júnior. This year's budget was defined in July 2008 and took into consideration a growth of 3.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 4.5% of inflation.
Optimistic, the executive of Makro expects the Brazilian GDP for this year still remains at "nill". The planning for 2010, which at this moment takes into consideration a basic macroeconomic scenario made up of a growth of 3% in the GDP and the same 4.5% of inflation, will be finished within the next weeks. In spite of the disparity between the current scenario and the one outlined in the past, the investment in expansion will not be reviewed.
"We will open ten units this year, amounting to 75, which will consume R$ 240 million (US$ 126.3 million), of our own cash", affirmed Batista Júnior. Without detailing the performance in the first half, the CEO of the chain signaled that Makro registered growth of one digit taking into consideration the same basis of stores, and growth of two digits in relation to the net profit. In 2008, eight stores were opened with R$ 195 million (US$ 106.6 million).