Riding The Latin American Retail Boom

Latin America is perhaps the most exciting region in the world for retailers. The rising middle class, fast growth of e-commerce and the increase of female income are among the factors that make it vibrant.

When management consultants A.T. Kearney published their latest Global Retail Development Index (Grdi), it gave a graphic illustration of just how vibrant the Latin American retail scene is at the moment. For the third straight year, Brazil topped the index in 2013. It is, according to A.T. Kearney, the best country in the world to invest in retail. Brazil was not alone. Chile placed second in the rankings, and Uruguay leapfrogged China into third. Perú, Colombia, México and Panamá all fi nished within the top 25.

An expanding middle class, benign infl ation and sustained economic growth helped make Latin America perhaps the most exciting retail region.