What's Happening In Mexico?

Live luxuriously on your pension!

(articles courtesy of LLoyd, www.lloyd.com.mx)
HIGH SPEED INTERNET VIA POWER LINES
The CFE (Federal Electricity Commission) has commenced
providing high-speed internet access through existing power lines.
A plug-in Power Line Communication (PLC) adaptor will turn
any power outlet into an internet connection. These connections
will work for data transmission, video, and also voice
transmission. Spain is operating a similar system which is 30%
less expensive than conventional internet connections. The city of
Morelia was chosen for an in depth two year study prior to mass
commercialization. With 96% of the homes in Mexico currently
connected to the national power system, internet service could be
provided to virtually every household without the associated costs
of telephone, cable or wireless infrastructure expense.

AUTOMATED TIRE PLANT

The Japanese tire manufacturer, Bridgestone,has begun investing
220 million dollars for the construction of a fully-automated plant
in Monterrey. Due to open in 2007, this Bridgestone plant will be
the first of it's kind outside japan and will automate every phrase
from initial processing to final inspection. Although employment
indicates only 200 employees, the plant will produce 8,000 heavy
duty tires a day for buses and trucks throughout North America.
Currently, Bridgestone has two other plants located in in Mexican
cities - Mexico City and Cuernavaca.

PROTECTING TEQUILA

Mexico exported 109 million liters of tequila in 2004, surpassing
all previous records of tequila production. Since that time, South
African distillers have been trying to take advantage of a
worldwide over-demand for genuine tequila through the
promotion of "agave spirit", distilled from Agave americana which
is a larger species that the Agave tequilana Weber azul used for
tequila. South Africa remains one of the few countries that has
refused to recognize tequila's "denomination of origin" status,
which reserves the name for production froma limited
geographical area of western Mexico, together will a small part of
Tamaulipas. The Mexican Industrial Property Institute recently
reported that it has taken steps to restrict the sale of 86 different
fraudulent brands around the world in the past four years.

CONVENIENCE STORES EXPAND

In Mexico, 7-Eleven is playing "catch-up" with Oxxo, a domestic
chain of convenience stores owned by Coca-Cola Femsa. Oxxo is
growing very rapidly; it added more than 500 units last year and
now boasts 3,260 locations nationwide. Even more impressive,
its sales increases 10.2% in the third quarter of 2004 on a "same
store" basis. In its efforts to catch up, 7-Eleven is investing 30
million dollars this year to add 100 more sales points to its
existing network of 500.

WAL-MART OFFICE MOVES TO MEXICO

Wal-Mart's global provisioning office, formerly based in Costa
Rica, is moving to Mexico. The office links suppliers, regardless
of their geographic location, directly with the giant retail chain,
avoiding intermediaries and lowering purchasing costs. The move
brings the office closer to its Mexican suppliers of items such as
perishable foodstuffs (Mexican growers meet 60% of Wal-Mart's
U.S. demand), blue jeans, (most jeans sold in U.S. Wal-Mart's
come from Mexico) and television sets (most of which are
manufactured by maquiladora companies on the Mexico-U.S.
border). Wal-Mart's new office will work closely with the
company's major distribution center, located in Monterrey.

OSTRICH MEAT

There are 800 registered ostrich farmers in Mexico, located in 14
states, ranging from Baja California, Neuvo León, Tamaulipas,
Sonora, Chihauhua and San Luis Potosí in the north of the
country, to Chiapas and Oaxaca in the south. An adult ostrich
weighs 120 to 130 kilograms, and yields about 30 kilos of meat.
The Mexican Council for Ostrich meat, reports that its members
produce 2 metric tons of ostrich meat a month, and that the meat
is gaining wider acceptance in homes and restaurants.
Supermarket sales account for around 65% of total sales. Ostrich
meat is protein-rich red meat, similar to beef, but very low in fat
and cholesterol. Commercial by-products of ostrich farming
include ostrich oil (used in soaps, creams and lotions) and ostrich
leather.

BIMBO MORE THAN JUST BREAD

Seeking to diversify away from its existing marketing of low-cost
mass-marketed breads and cookies, Grupo Bimbo, Latin
America's largest bread maker, has pursued an agenda of
aggressive purchases over the past 18 months - during which time
it has bought several major confectioners, such as Joyco de
México, Alimentos Duval and Lolimen, as well as making an
offer for Chocolates La Corona. Now, Bimbo is buying El Globo,
a chain of pastry shops currently belonging to Grupo Sanborns,
for 127 million dollars. [1.35 billion pesos] El Globo, founded in
Mexico City in 1884, is one of the country's oldest businesses.
Since Grupo Sanborns acquired it in 1998, the chain has expanded
from 72 to 170 outlets, with annual sales of 94 million dollars [1
billion pesos.]

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For additional information, contact Amelia Barreto.

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