• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
RetailFortune 500

Wal-Mart’s Mexico Unit Is Selling Its Apparel Chain for $852 Million

By
Reuters
Reuters
and
Michelle Toh
Michelle Toh
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
and
Michelle Toh
Michelle Toh
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 11, 2016, 4:39 AM ET
Shoppers at a Wal-Mart de Mexico Suburbia Store Ahead of Quarterly Earnings Report
A woman shops for baby clothes at a Wal-Mart de Mexico Suburbia department store in Mexico City, Mexico, on Friday, Oct.17, 2014. Wal-Mart de Mexico third-quarter sales increased 4.2 percent, the company said in an earnings conference call on Oct. 20. Photographer: Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesSusana Gonzalez/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Wal-Mart Stores’s Mexican unit said on Wednesday it has agreed to sell its Suburbia clothing chain to El Puerto De Liverpool for about $852 million as the world’s largest retailer streamlines operations in its largest non-U.S. market.

Wal-Mart De Mexico y Centroamerica, also known as Walmex, will sell Suburbia with its 119 stores and real estate for 15.7 billion pesos ($852 million) including debt of 1.4 billion pesos. Walmex will also receive an additional 3.3 billion pesos in items including declared dividends after the deal closes, it said in a statement.

In January, the retailer said it was looking to sell Suburbia without giving a timeframe for completing the sale. Some Mexican media outlets had speculated the sale could fetch as much as $2 billion.

See also: Walmart Is Giving its Grocery Aisles a Makeover

Liverpool is one of Mexico’s department store operators, with more than 100 outlets. Company representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Wal-Mart (WMT) has been looking to double sales in Mexico by 2024 by boosting its core business of running discount retail and membership stores, and expanding its fresh food business. The divestiture is part of Wal-Mart’s strategy, announced in 2013, to streamline and sell businesses not central to its overseas operations.

For more on Wal-Mart, watch this Fortune video:

Wal-Mart’s international division, which contributes roughly one-third of the company’s total annual sales of nearly $480 billion, has divested some non-core businesses across Chile, Mexico and Canada in the past two years.

See also: Is a $3 Billion Sale a Failure?

In Mexico over the past three years, Walmex has sold its Vips restaurant chain to fast-food operator Alsea SAB for $626 million, and its Banco Walmart unit to Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim’s bank Grupo Financiero Inbursa for about $247 million.

Wal-Mart acquired Suburbia’s parent supermarket chain Cifra in 1997. Suburbia has 119 stores in 46 cities and is popular with urban shoppers, ranking among Mexico’s top five department stores, according to analysts.

Suburbia, which is profitable, contributed 3% to Walmex’s overall revenue in 2015. Walmex, Mexico’s biggest private sector employer and the country’s largest retailer, posted sales of about $26.35 billion in 2015.

At the company’s shareholder’s meeting in June, David Cheesewright, head of Wal-Mart’s overseas division, singled out the Mexican market as a top priority. Mexico has Wal-Mart’s largest number of stores outside the United States.

Wal-Mart has struggled in overseas markets, including Britain and China, but Walmex has remained a bright spot with second-quarter revenue growing 11.5% to about $6.93 billion.

About the Authors
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Michelle Toh
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

A Macy's entrance in a mall.
RetailMacy's
Macy’s just launched an AI-powered shopping assistant. Customers who use it spend nearly 400% more 
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 27, 2026
20 hours ago
C-SuiteFood and drink
‘I didn’t want anybody shooting me’: Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Catherina GioinoMarch 25, 2026
3 days ago
Brian Niccol speaks and gestures in front of a blue and green background.
C-SuiteStarbucks
Starbucks CEO admits the chain ‘ran like a manufacturing facility’
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 23, 2026
5 days ago
Toilet paper on empty supermarket shelves, lockdown panic buying
EconomyIran
The great toilet paper panic is back as Japan starts stockpiling
By Eva RoytburgMarch 23, 2026
5 days ago
RetailCostco
Costco CEO promises the $1.50 hot dog isn’t going away: ‘The price will not change as long as I’m around’
By Sydney LakeMarch 21, 2026
7 days ago
AsiaPepsiCo
Three Asias, three different playbooks: How PepsiCo’s Anne Tse views the world’s fastest-growing snack market
By Nicholas GordonMarch 20, 2026
8 days ago

Most Popular

Success
Meetings are not work, says Southwest Airlines CEO—and he’s taking action by blocking his calendar every afternoon from Wednesday to Friday 
By Fortune EditorsMarch 27, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 27, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 27, 2026
1 day ago
AI
Exclusive: Anthropic acknowledges testing new AI model representing ‘step change’ in capabilities, after accidental data leak reveals its existence
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
2 days ago
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Friday, March 27, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 27, 2026
1 day ago
Success
This AI-proof career faces a 250,000-worker shortage—now the Trump administration is trying to revive the job millennials abandoned
By Fortune EditorsMarch 27, 2026
1 day ago
Economy
‘There is no silver lining in this trajectory’: Budget watchdog warns of financial, inflation, or currency crisis due to $39 trillion U.S. debt
By Fortune EditorsMarch 27, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.