Jorge Marcos Sans arrived in Ecuador from Peru two years ago to lead the internationalization project of Promart, a chain retail specialized in the offer of household goods, hardware, white goods and furniture, which opened its first store in the country this Friday, December 15, in the afternoon. The general manager of Promart Ecuador comments on the details of the arrival of the brand that has 37 stores in Peru and occupies 37% of the modern market, which is a large area and represents approximately 25% of the total market of all chains. . He expects good results from his first international foray.

How did you start planning the arrival of the brand in Ecuador?

Basically, we had an approach with a strategic partner, its name is Adelca, and they showed us the potential that exists in the country, we came, we did market studies and there was really a lot of potential, the business opportunity is still very fragmented, there are few players competitors with those large formats, we have a different proposal, we have 6,500 square meters of space and a construction yard of 1,500 square meters. The investment for this location was 30 million dollars.

Promart Homecenter moves its opening to this Friday, December 15 at 3:00 p.m

In this type of large format, there are no players, but there is competition. What attracted you to this market?

The market is quite fragmented. Although there are players with fairly well-known names, they do not cover a large part of the market. The market in Ecuador is estimated at approximately 2.5% of the gross domestic product, which gives you an amount of almost 3.5 million dollars. If you build a house and flip it, whatever doesn’t fall is part of that $3.5 million.

That market today, I would say almost 80% is still in the hands of the hardware market, there are more than 7000 or 8000 hardware stores in the country that will continue to do the same because they are still a place of convenience, because it is close to your home. If you have something urgent you should go to a hardware store, but these companies (Promart) are more about projects.

Does Promart also see the regional market with this beginning of internationalization in Ecuador?

Yes, there are opportunities in many countries, but there are also big competitors, chains like Sodimac which are chains from Chile, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, it hasn’t arrived here yet, I hope it won’t arrive very soon, it’s quite an important competitor, a big and they never entered here. I think they see a somewhat closed market here, which may not have entered the country due to political reasons, conditions that do not create investor confidence. I would say that there is still not much international investment (in Ecuador), but I think that in the coming years it will be a point of reference, Ecuador as a potential country is at the center of the whole world and we wish the best to the government that is in power.

What are the brand’s growth expectations with this first location outside of Peru?

Quito and Guayaquil are the first cities where we will grow, it will be a moderate growth in the sense that we still want to establish the brand, sell a new format that is so adapted to the Ecuadorian public, make changes in some categories that we think are powerful and can make second and third shop.

The store has a construction terrace of 1,500 m2, accompanied by a sales area of ​​6,500 m2: which, according to Jorge Marcos Sans, manager of Promart Ecuador, is a difference that allows them to stand out as a reference in the home goods retail sector. improvement. Photo: José Beltrán

Will these upcoming stores be in Quito?

In Quito, another.

When is it scheduled to open? Will an amount similar to that in the first location be invested?

For the last quarter of 2024 and yes, it will be a similar amount, there will not be a big difference, it depends on the price of the land.

How many jobs does Promart create at this first location?

We have 200 employees, and it is interesting that this business generates almost twice as many indirect jobs, almost 400 people.

How many items does Promart offer the Ecuadorian consumer?

The store has about 18,000 products, 50% are national suppliers, we have more than 230 national suppliers, and the rest are imported, mostly from the same suppliers we have from the same parts of the world, suppliers from Indonesia, China, Germany, France.

What strategy does Promart open to attract customers?

Today we have more than 600 promotions; However, we have a policy of fairly fair, reasonable prices and quality products, so the whole store is basically on promotion.

How do you deal with power outages in Ecuador?

We have generators, not only here in Ecuador, but there is a lot to do in the electrical part in both countries.