Unicomer Group
A Salvadoran-headquartered multinational retail and consumer-finance group focused on durable goods, household products and electronics.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Unicomer Group, also known as Grupo Unicomer, is a multinational retail and consumer-finance group headquartered in San Salvador, El Salvador. Founded in 2000 through the acquisition of the Central American retail operations of the Dutch company CETECO, the group developed a regional portfolio of department-store, furniture, appliance, electronics, optical and technology businesses. Its principal retail activities are concentrated in consumer durables, including furniture, audio and video equipment, household appliances, computers, mobile phones, motorcycles and related services. The group operates through a collection of established local and international retail brands rather than presenting all of its stores under one consumer-facing name. Important banners include La Curaçao, Almacenes Tropigas, Courts, Gollo, Artefacta and RadioShack franchises. The businesses combine physical stores, e-commerce, delivery, installation, repair, warranties and customer financing. Several banners also operate optical businesses, while La Curaçao Cash and TropiCash provide installment-based cash-loan offerings in selected markets. This combination of retail and credit services is designed to make relatively expensive household and technology products accessible through deferred payment plans. Unicomer expanded beyond its original Central American base through acquisitions and franchise arrangements. It acquired Courts' Caribbean operations in 2006, Gollo in Costa Rica in 2012 and Artefacta in Ecuador at the end of 2011. The group also expanded its RadioShack presence from an initial Salvadoran franchise into Central America and, in 2015, obtained exclusive rights to the RadioShack brand, intellectual property and existing franchise contracts across Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This transaction gave Unicomer a franchising role in additional markets, including countries where it did not directly operate stores. The group has maintained regional offices in locations including Miami, Trinidad, Jamaica and Costa Rica. Reference material describes a network of more than 30 brands, over 1,000 stores in 26 countries and more than 13,000 associates, although the applicable date for those figures is not specified. Unicomer also publishes corporate responsibility and sustainability reporting. Its corporate-finance profile became more formalized during the 2010s through international credit ratings and a US$350 million international bond issued in 2017. In 2022, it agreed to acquire Peruvian financial-services company CrediScotia Financiera from Bank of Nova Scotia, subject to regulatory approval. The group is therefore best understood as a regional retail platform combining consumer-durables merchandising, franchising and point-of-sale finance.
History
Unicomer Group was established in 2000 when it acquired CETECO's retail operations in Central America. The inherited portfolio included La Curaçao and Almacenes Tropigas, giving the new group an immediate presence in household appliances and related consumer goods. La Curaçao traces its commercial history to the Curaçao Trading Company, founded in 1890, which later evolved from maritime and agricultural trading into household-appliance retail. Almacenes Tropigas originated from a liquefied-gas business founded in 1955; its household-goods activities were separated from the gas operation and later became part of CETECO's retail portfolio. During the early 2000s, Unicomer expanded its store network and sales channels. Almacenes Tropigas introduced door-to-door selling in El Salvador in 2001 and extended the model across Central America. La Curaçao developed e-commerce and later added cash-loan formats, while Unicomer opened stores in Houston in 2004. Optical extensions were added to La Curaçao from 2005 onward. These initiatives broadened the group's offer beyond conventional appliance retail and connected merchandising with financing and service. The acquisition of Courts' Caribbean operations in December 2006 was a major geographic step. Courts had operated in the Caribbean since 1959 and was a significant furniture, appliance and electrical retailer in the region. Unicomer acquired publicly traded Courts interests in Jamaica and Barbados as well as other operations from Courts plc in the United Kingdom. The transaction has been described in the reference material as the Caribbean's first leveraged buyout. Unicomer subsequently expanded Courts in the United States, opening in Brooklyn in 2008 and Queens in 2011, and launched Courts Optical and an e-commerce site. The group continued its acquisition-led expansion with Artefacta in Ecuador and Gollo in Costa Rica. Artefacta began as an electrical-goods assembly operation in 1989, later developing stores and product categories that included motorcycles, cellular phones and computers. Unicomer acquired the chain at the end of 2011. Gollo, founded in Costa Rica in 1974, joined the group in 2012 and later developed e-commerce and optical services. These acquisitions strengthened Unicomer's presence in South America and Costa Rica while adding locally recognized retail identities. RadioShack became another important platform. Unicomer's shareholders initially acquired a RadioShack franchise in El Salvador in 1998, with expansion into Honduras in 2002, Guatemala in 2003 and Nicaragua in 2005. By early 2015, the group controlled 57 RadioShack stores in Central America. On 15 April 2015, it obtained exclusive rights to the brand, intellectual property and existing franchise contracts across a much wider territory. The arrangement enabled RadioShack franchise stores in countries such as Peru, Bolivia and Haiti and made Unicomer both an operator and franchisor. Corporate financing became increasingly internationalized. The group obtained ratings in 2014, changed its holding-company name in 2017 and issued a US$350 million seven-year international bond listed in Singapore. Later in 2017, LatinFinance recognized its capital-markets strategy for the Central America and Caribbean region. Reference material reports international ratings of BB− in December 2021. In May 2022, Unicomer agreed to buy CrediScotia Financiera in Peru from Bank of Nova Scotia, with completion dependent on regulatory approval. Across its retail and financial activities, the group has emphasized regional scale, private-label or franchise-brand management, consumer credit, e-commerce and sustainability reporting.
- 2022
Agreement to acquire CrediScotia Financiera
[1]Unicomer agrees to purchase the Peruvian financial-services company, pending regulatory approvals.
- 2017
International bond issuance
[1]The group issues a US$350 million, seven-year 144A/Regulation S bond listed on the Singapore Exchange.
- 2015
RadioShack rights acquisition
[1]Unicomer obtains exclusive regional rights to RadioShack brands, intellectual property and franchise contracts.
- 2014
Credit ratings and digital expansion
[1]The group obtains international credit ratings; Gollo also launches e-commerce during the year.
- 2012
Gollo acquisition
[1]Costa Rican retailer Gollo is acquired by Unicomer.
- 2011
Artefacta joins the group
[1]Unicomer acquires Ecuadorian retailer Artefacta, reported at the time as having 98 stores.
- 2006
Courts Caribbean acquisition
[1]Unicomer acquires Courts' Caribbean operations, expanding its furniture and appliance platform across the region.
- 2004
Entry into the United States
[1]Unicomer opens two stores under its own name in Houston, Texas.
- 2000
Unicomer Group is founded
[1]The group is formed through the acquisition of CETECO's Central American retail operations, including La Curaçao and Almacenes Tropigas.
Products and positioning
Regional, mid-market consumer-durables retail supported by installment financing, omnichannel shopping and after-sales services.
Department and consumer-durables retail · 1945
La Curaçao
La Curaçao is one of Unicomer's principal Central American retail banners. It sells furniture, appliances, electronics and household goods through stores and online channels, and supports purchases with delivery, warranties, maintenance and consumer-credit services. The banner has also developed optical branches and La Curaçao Cash locations in selected markets, extending the proposition into eye care and installment-based cash lending.
Furniture, appliance and electrical retail · 1850
Courts
Courts is a Caribbean-focused retail chain specializing in furniture, household appliances, consumer electronics and electrical goods. Unicomer acquired its Caribbean operations in 2006 and later added Courts Optical and e-commerce capabilities. The brand serves island markets and Caribbean communities abroad, including through United States stores.
Technology, furniture and appliance retail · 1974
Gollo
Gollo is a Costa Rican retail chain founded in 1974. Under Unicomer, it has continued selling technology products, furniture and household appliances while adding online shopping and optical services. Reference material describes a network exceeding 120 stores, although the date of that count is not specified.
Electrical goods and consumer-durables retail · 1989
Artefacta
Artefacta is an Ecuadorian retailer that evolved from an electrical-goods assembly business into a multichannel chain. Its assortment expanded to include household appliances, motorcycles, mobile phones, desktop computers and laptops. The company also introduced insurance packages and became part of Unicomer's portfolio at the end of 2011.
Appliance and household-goods retail · 1992
Almacenes Tropigas
Almacenes Tropigas is a Central American household-appliance and home-goods banner descended from the retail portion of the Tropigas business. It uses stores, door-to-door selling and installment finance, including the TropiCash concept in selected markets. By 2015, reference material reported 130 stores in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Belize.
Consumer-electronics franchising and retail · 1998
RadioShack franchise operations
Unicomer operates and franchises RadioShack stores across Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Its regional involvement began with a Salvadoran franchise and expanded through additional Central American markets. In 2015, Unicomer obtained exclusive rights to the brand, intellectual property and existing franchise contracts across a broader territory.
Brand decisions
2022
Agreement to acquire CrediScotia FinancieraM&ABackground
Unicomer pursued expansion of its consumer-finance capabilities in Peru.
Action taken
It signed an agreement to purchase CrediScotia Financiera from Bank of Nova Scotia, subject to regulatory approvals.
Aftermath
The available reference material does not establish whether the transaction subsequently closed.
2017
International bond issuanceOtherBackground
Following the group's international credit ratings, Unicomer pursued access to international debt markets.
Action taken
The group issued a seven-year US$350 million 144A/Regulation S bond listed on the Singapore Exchange.
Aftermath
The transaction supported the group's international capital-markets profile and was later associated with an award for regional capital-markets strategy.
Bond principal. US$350 million (2017; seven-year term)
2015
Acquisition of exclusive RadioShack regional rightsStrategyBackground
Unicomer already operated RadioShack franchises in Central America and sought wider control of the brand's regional franchise platform.
Action taken
On 15 April 2015, it acquired exclusive rights to RadioShack brands, intellectual property and existing franchise contracts across Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Aftermath
Unicomer became a regional RadioShack franchisor and gained indirect presence in markets including Peru, Bolivia and Haiti.
2006
Acquisition of Courts Caribbean operationsM&ABackground
Unicomer sought to expand its consumer-durables platform from Central America into the Caribbean through the acquisition of Courts operations.
Action taken
It acquired publicly traded Courts interests in Jamaica and Barbados and other Caribbean operations from Courts plc.
Aftermath
The transaction established Courts as a major Unicomer banner in Caribbean furniture, appliance and electrical retail.
Recent events
- 2022
Unicomer agrees to purchase CrediScotia Financiera[1]
M&A · Regulation
Unicomer signed an agreement to acquire the Peruvian financial-services company from Bank of Nova Scotia, subject to regulatory approvals.
- 2017
Holding company adopts Grupo Unicomer name[1]
Other
The group's holding company changed its name to Grupo Unicomer Holding Co. Ltd.
- 2017
Unicomer issues US$350 million international bond[1]
Other
The group issued a seven-year 144A/Regulation S bond listed on the Singapore Exchange.
- 2015
Unicomer acquires regional RadioShack rights[1]
M&A
Unicomer acquired exclusive rights to the RadioShack brand, intellectual property and contracts of existing franchisees across Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
- 2014
Unicomer obtains international credit ratings[1]
Other
The group obtained ratings from Fitch Ratings and S&P through its consolidated holding company, then known as Regal Forest Holding Co. Ltd.
Sources1 sources
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