Grupo Éxito
A Colombian-origin South American retail group built around supermarkets, hypermarkets, discount stores, apparel, and shopping centers.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Grupo Éxito is a major South American retail group headquartered in Medellín, Colombia. Its roots lie in a family-run textile business established by Gustavo Toro Quintero in 1949. The company later evolved from textile retail into a broad-format retailer, adding food, household goods, consumer electronics, furniture, clothing, pharmacy-related services, travel services, and other consumer offerings. Food has become the central part of the business, accounting for roughly 70–75% of revenue according to the cited reference material. The group’s principal Colombian retail banner is Éxito, which operates hypermarkets and large supermarkets selling both packaged and fresh foods alongside department-store merchandise. Other Colombian formats have included Carulla, a supermarket brand with a stronger emphasis on food and premium grocery retail; Surtimax, a discount and cash-and-carry-oriented format; Super Inter; Surtimayorista; and historical brands such as Pomona and Vivero. The group has also developed private-label and textile activities through brands including Arkitect, People, Bronzini, and Pop Rose. Its non-store retail assets include the Viva shopping-center platform. Grupo Éxito’s expansion accelerated through acquisitions and strategic investments. It merged with Cadenalco in 2001, strengthening its position in Colombian retail. It became associated with textile and apparel company Didetexco during the 2000s and expanded internationally through investments in Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In Uruguay, it acquired the Devoto and Disco chains in 2011. In 2015, it completed the acquisition of Argentine retailer Hipermercados Libertad and acquired a 50% interest in Brazil’s Pão de Açúcar group, according to the cited reference material. These transactions made the company a regional retail platform rather than only a Colombian supermarket chain. The company has continued to experiment with retail formats and shopping-center development. In 2018 it introduced the Éxito WOW concept, described as a modern, technology-oriented hypermarket format. That same year it opened Viva Envigado in Colombia, a large shopping center that became one of the country’s biggest malls. In 2022, several former Almacenes La 14 locations in Valle del Cauca and a location in Girardot were converted or replaced by Grupo Éxito operations. Ownership has changed substantially over time. The French retail group Casino became a strategic shareholder in the late 1990s and subsequently held a controlling position in Almacenes Éxito. Casino and Brazil’s GPA sold their combined 34% stake to El Salvador’s Grupo Calleja on January 26, 2024, in a transaction reported at €400 million. Grupo Calleja subsequently became the controlling shareholder. Grupo Éxito remains an active, publicly traded retail group, with operations centered on Colombia and additional businesses in Uruguay and Argentina; the cited material also describes historical or group-level exposure to Brazil.
History
Grupo Éxito traces its origins to Medellín, where Gustavo Toro Quintero founded a family textile business in 1949. The name Éxito means “success” in Spanish. The enterprise initially focused on textile production and sales, but its retail model began to change in the early 1970s. In 1972 it introduced supermarket merchandise alongside its earlier textile offer, moving toward a hypermarket format. It expanded its store base from 1974 onward and opened a flagship location in Bogotá in 1980. The company became publicly traded in 1994, when it had four major locations and shares were admitted to the Medellín and Bogotá stock exchanges. Its retail proposition broadened during the 1990s to include services and categories such as eye care, travel, and pharmacy-related activities. Strategic capital from the French group Casino, together with investment associated with the company’s late-1990s financing, helped provide the basis for a major expansion phase. A decisive step came in 2001, when Éxito merged with Cadenalco, formerly one of Colombia’s largest retailers. The merger expanded the group’s store network and reinforced its position in the Colombian market. In 2004, through the Casino relationship, the group became connected with Cativen, a Venezuelan supermarket operator. Cativen operated several Venezuelan stores, including Éxito-branded locations, but the business later became entangled in a dispute with the Venezuelan government. In early 2010, the government expropriated the stores, citing alleged price gouging, hoarding, and breaches of consumer-protection rules. The properties were nationalized and renamed Bicentennial Supplies. The company also diversified beyond food retail. In 2009 it became associated with Didetexco, a Colombian textile and apparel company, and developed or retained clothing labels such as Arkitect, People, Bronzini, and Pop Rose. Food nevertheless became the group’s dominant commercial activity. Its Colombian portfolio came to include the Éxito hypermarket chain, Carulla supermarkets, Surtimax discount stores, Super Inter, Surtimayorista, and other historical formats. The group’s large stores combine grocery retail with clothing, electronics, furniture, and household products. International expansion intensified in the 2010s. In 2011, Almacenes Éxito acquired the Devoto and Disco chains in Uruguay for a reported US$746 million. In 2015, it completed the acquisition of 100% of Argentine retailer Hipermercados Libertad and purchased a 50% stake in Brazil’s Pão de Açúcar group, according to the cited reference material. The Uruguayan portfolio also included Geant, while the Argentine business operated through Libertad and the Paseo Libertad format. During the late 2010s, Grupo Éxito invested in new retail and property concepts. It introduced Éxito WOW in 2018 as a modernized hypermarket format and opened Viva Envigado on October 5 of that year. The Viva platform gave the group a substantial shopping-center business in addition to its store operations. In 2022, it replaced or converted several former Almacenes La 14 locations in Palmira, Cartago, Tuluá, Buenaventura, and Jamundí in Valle del Cauca, as well as a location in Girardot. Casino remained a major shareholder for many years, with GPA also participating in the ownership structure. On January 26, 2024, Casino and GPA sold their combined 34% stake to Grupo Calleja of El Salvador in a transaction reported at €400 million. The deal made Grupo Calleja the controlling shareholder, with the remaining ownership distributed among Colombian business interests, pension funds, institutional investors, banks, and American depositary receipt holders according to the cited material. Grupo Éxito’s present identity is therefore that of a Colombian-founded, regionally active retailer with a food-led multi-format portfolio and significant experience in acquisitions, private-label apparel, and commercial real estate.
- 2024
Grupo Calleja becomes controlling shareholder
[1]Casino and GPA sold their combined 34% stake to Grupo Calleja in a reported €400 million transaction.
- 2022
Conversion of former Almacenes La 14 sites
[1]Grupo Éxito replaced or converted several former Almacenes La 14 locations in Colombia.
- 2018
Éxito WOW and Viva Envigado
[1]The company introduced the Éxito WOW hypermarket format and opened the Viva Envigado shopping center.
- 2015
Argentine and Brazilian expansion
[1]The group completed the acquisition of Hipermercados Libertad in Argentina and acquired a 50% interest in Brazil’s Pão de Açúcar group.
- 2011
Uruguayan expansion
[1]The group acquired the Devoto and Disco chains in Uruguay.
- 2009
Association with Didetexco
[1]Grupo Éxito became associated with the Colombian textile and apparel company Didetexco.
- 2001
Merger with Cadenalco
[1]The merger with Cadenalco strengthened the group’s position in Colombian retail.
- 1994
Public listing
[1]The company became publicly traded on the Medellín and Bogotá stock exchanges.
- 1980
Bogotá flagship opens
[1]The company opened a flagship store in Bogotá as it expanded beyond Medellín.
- 1972
Move toward hypermarket retail
[1]The business added supermarket products to its earlier textile-oriented retail proposition.
Products and positioning
A mass-market, multi-format retailer combining food-led supermarkets and hypermarkets with discount stores, apparel, department-store merchandise, digital and service offerings, and shopping-center operations.
Hypermarkets and supermarkets
Éxito
The flagship Colombian retail banner and the group’s principal hypermarket format. Éxito stores combine fresh and packaged food with clothing, electronics, furniture, household goods, and other department-store categories. The chain serves broad consumer segments and includes large stores as well as more contemporary Éxito WOW locations.
Supermarkets
Carulla
A supermarket banner positioned around food and everyday grocery shopping. Carulla forms part of Grupo Éxito’s Colombian portfolio and is associated with a more supermarket-focused proposition than the group’s largest hypermarkets. Historical references also connect the banner with the Vivero format.
Discount retail
Surtimax
A Colombian discount-oriented format offering food and selected everyday consumer products. Surtimax supports the group’s value-retail strategy and extends its reach beyond large hypermarkets into more price-sensitive shopping missions.
Supermarkets
Super Inter
A supermarket format within the Colombian portfolio. It contributes regional coverage and gives Grupo Éxito an additional store identity for grocery-led retail outside the core Éxito and Carulla banners.
Cash-and-carry retail
Surtimayorista
A wholesale-oriented, cash-and-carry format serving value-conscious households and potentially small business customers. It broadens the group’s food retail model toward larger baskets and price-led purchasing.
Shopping centers
Viva
Grupo Éxito’s shopping-center platform. Viva properties complement the company’s store network with commercial real estate, entertainment, services, and other tenant-based retail activities. Viva Envigado is one of the platform’s most prominent developments.
Supermarkets
Devoto
A Uruguayan supermarket chain acquired by Grupo Éxito as part of its 2011 expansion. Devoto gives the group a local operating presence and a grocery-focused brand distinct from its Colombian banners.
Supermarkets
Disco
A Uruguayan supermarket chain acquired alongside Devoto. Disco forms part of Grupo Éxito’s international grocery portfolio and operates under a locally established retail identity.
Hypermarkets
Libertad
An Argentine hypermarket business acquired by Grupo Éxito in 2015. The banner operates large-format stores that combine grocery products with general merchandise and is associated with the Paseo Libertad shopping-center and retail concept.
Apparel
Private-label apparel brands
The group’s textile heritage continues through apparel brands such as Arkitect, People, Bronzini, and Pop Rose. These labels cover different clothing propositions and connect Grupo Éxito’s retail network with product development and private-label merchandising.
Brand decisions
2024
Transfer control to Grupo CallejaM&ABackground
Casino and GPA reduced their ownership in Grupo Éxito as part of a broader change in the group’s shareholder structure.
Action taken
Casino and GPA sold their combined 34% stake to Grupo Calleja of El Salvador.
Aftermath
Grupo Calleja became the controlling shareholder, while Grupo Éxito retained its established regional retail operations.
Reported transaction value. €400 million (January 26, 2024)
2018
Launch Éxito WOWProduct launchBackground
Large-format retail was being refreshed through more modern store environments and technology-enabled shopping experiences.
Action taken
Grupo Éxito introduced the Éxito WOW hypermarket concept.
Aftermath
The format became part of the group’s effort to modernize its flagship hypermarket proposition.
2015
Expand into Argentina and BrazilM&ABackground
Grupo Éxito continued its regional acquisition strategy after establishing a presence in Uruguay.
Action taken
The company completed the takeover of Hipermercados Libertad in Argentina and acquired a 50% interest in Brazil’s Pão de Açúcar group.
Aftermath
The transactions broadened the group’s regional footprint and increased its exposure to major South American retail markets.
2011
Acquire Devoto and Disco in UruguayM&ABackground
The company sought to expand beyond Colombia and build a regional Latin American retail platform.
Action taken
Almacenes Éxito acquired Uruguay’s Devoto and Disco chains.
Aftermath
The acquisition gave the group a substantial operating presence in Uruguay.
Reported transaction value. US$746 million (2011)
2001
Merge with CadenalcoM&ABackground
Cadenalco was formerly one of Colombia’s largest retailers, and combining the businesses offered a way to increase store scale and competitive reach.
Action taken
Grupo Éxito merged with Cadenalco and consolidated its position in the Colombian retail market.
Aftermath
The transaction helped establish Grupo Éxito as a leading Colombian retailer and supported later multi-format expansion.
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