Femsa to Become Gasoline Retailer

by Murry Page

27 Feb 15 

mazmessenger.com

 

Fomento Economico Mexicano (Femsa), the main bottler of Coca-Cola announced it will acquire 227 Pemex gas stations, which it is actually already operating under the brand Oxxo Gas. The company entered the gasoline business in 1995, but under the law it could only do so through third parties who had Pemex franchises because it had foreigners among its shareholders.

Under the recently passed energy reforms, private operators, including foreigners, will now be permitted in the retail gasoline business. Femsa told reporters it plans to buy the gas station operations where it has agreements with Pemex franchisers and operates under the brand Oxxo Gas.

According to Femsa it will lease, buy or open more stations in the future. In its filing on Thursday with the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV), in which it submitted its fourth quarter financial report, Femsa said “it decided to pursue a strategy of accelerated growth in this business.”

(from Economía)

Property Tax Bills Begin Delivery January 15

by Maureen Dietrich

15 Jan 15 

mazmessenger.com

Beginning January 15, the municipal government will begin delivering door-to-door property tax bills.

In total, delivery will be made to 130,000 homes of owners who are current with their taxes beginning on the 15^th.

Municipal Treasurer Carlos Ernesto Tapia Parral stated that normally the city only prints bills for property owners who are current on their annual payments. But this year they decided to issue tax bills as well for those with delinquent accounts. In total, 198,416 property tax bills will be issued.

New this year, said the Treasurer, in addition to banks and city hall modules is an agreement with Oxxo and Kiosco stores to allow owners to pay their bills at Oxxo and Kiosco outlets.

(from Noroeste)

Oxxo's Store Debit Cards Are New Option for Mexicans

Amy Guthrie - Wall Street Journal
go to original
October 30, 2014

Over the past 10 months, Femsa has issued one million of its 'Saldazo' cards, for a rate of about 100,000 cards a month. The number of people actively using the cards is roughly two times the industry norm.

Mexico City, Mexico — Mexican convenience store operator Femsa reported on Tuesday that their new bank card appears to be a runaway success, opening another financial option for the many Mexicans who don't use banks.

Over the past 10 months, Monterrey-based Femsa has issued one million of its so-called "Saldazo" cards, for a rate of about 100,000 cards a month, Juan Fonseca, Femsa’s head of investor relations, told analysts during a conference call.

"This is the first banking relationship for most of the users of this product," said Mr. Fonseca, adding that the number of people actively using the cards is roughly two times the industry norm.

Every day, close to nine million people make a purchase at one of Femsa’s Oxxo stores, according to the company. It had 12,395 outlets across Mexico at the end of September, for a penetration in some areas on par with the convenience store market in the US.

Oxxo launched the Saldazo card in February together with the Mexican unit of Citigroup Inc. and Visa. It functions as a debit card that takes deposits of up to $7,000 Mexican pesos ($520) a month, allowing users to make purchases, withdrawals, and transfer prepaid airtime to their mobile phones.

Mr. Fonseca said the main benefit of the cards for Oxxo is to generate data, saying that the Saldazo cards don't generate a lot of fees. Once the retailer mines all the data, it hopes to use the information to tailor in-store promotions.

Attempts by some other Mexican retailers to migrate consumers to credit cards have largely received lukewarm responses.

Traditional bank accounts are also shunned by many, with the World Bank estimating that less than 30% of adults in Mexico having a bank account, compared to 56% in Brazil.

Original Story

Oxxo offers New Money Transfer Service

theyucatantimes.com

The maximum amount of the transfer will be 500 pesos (39 dollars) and a commission of 5% of the amount sent will be charged.

Oxxo announced that a nationwide money transfer service starts operating today in more than 11,000 of its convenience stores, owned by the Monterrey based “Fomento Económico Mexicano” Company (Femsa).

“The money transfer service is available every day of the week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm” said the company in a statement.

Asencio Carrión, services manager of Femsa Comercio, explained that the goal of the company is to innovate in services and meet the needs of all customers.

“Our stores can bring financial services to Mexicans and provide a good channel for sending small amounts of money, with a competitive commission. We offer a service designed to make life easier for those who need send financial aid” said the manager.