Companies

EPM First-Half 2020 Net Income Falls 45% Year-on-Year; Hidroituango Project Cost Estimate Rises Nearly 6%

Medellin Herald July 29, 2020

Medellin-based multinational utilities giant EPM announced July 28 that its first half (1H) 2020 net income fell 45% year-on-year, to COP$717 billion (US$192 million). “In the first half of 2020 — globally impacted by the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), which has implied significant

Companies

Éxito 2Q 2020 Net Income Vastly Improves Year-on-Year, Defying Covid Crisis

Medellin Herald July 28, 2020

Medellin-based multinational supermarket giant Grupo Exito announced July 27 that its second quarter (2Q) 2020 consolidated net income hit COP$12.8 billion (US$3.5 million) — a complete reversal from the COP$18 billion (US$4.9 million) net loss in 2Q 2019. Sales also rose 7% year-on-year (excluding currency change effects), to COP$3.56 trillion (US$968 million),

Companies

Cemex LatAm Holdings Reports 2Q 2020 Rebound in Profits

Medellin Herald July 28, 2020

Colombia-based cement/concrete giant Cemex LatAm Holdings announced July 27 that its second quarter (2Q) 2020 net income rose to US$11 million, up from a net loss of US$4 million in 2Q 2019. The profit boost came despite a 36% drop in sales and a 32% decline in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), […]

Companies

PharmaCielo Wins Colombian Government OK for 10 Tons of High-THC Marijuana Cultivation, Processing, Export of Psychoactive Extracts

Medellin Herald July 8, 2020

Medellin-based PharmaCielo Colombia and its Toronto-based parent company announced July 8 that it won Colombian government authorization to cultivate 10 tonnes of marijuana with high content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of pot) and export of medicinal extracts. The authorization “enables PharmaCielo to produce and deliver psychoactive extracts

Companies

EPM Eyes Dramatic Expansions into Infrastructure, Services, Advanced Technologies

Medellin Herald July 3, 2020

Medellin Mayor Daniel Quintero and EPM General Manager Alvaro Rendon revealed in a July 2 filing with Colombia’s Superfinanciera oversight agency an eye-popping proposal that would dramatically expand EPM’s product-and-service offerings nationwide and internationally. Already Colombia’s biggest single energy producer and Medellin’s single-biggest financial contributor, EPM

Companies

Nine Medellin Companies Among Colombia’s Top-25 Social Investment Leaders

Medellin Herald June 25, 2020

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Semana Sustainability magazine and project-development consultant Jaime Arteaga & Asociados jointly announced June 25 results of a prestigious nationwide competition to determine Colombia’s top social-investment leaders. Medellin-based companies took nine of the top-25 spots in the “Indice de Inversion Social

Companies

Coronavirus Outbreak to Delay Hidroituango Start-up to 2022: EPM

Medellin Herald June 12, 2020

Medellin-based electric power giant EPM revealed June 11 in a filing with Colombia’s Superfinanciera oversight agency that its US$5 billion, 2.4-gigawatt “Hidroituango” hydroelectric plant in Antioquia won’t start-up until 2022. The company had been planning for a December 2021 start-up of the first four turbine units. But the Covid-19 outbreak that is idling hundreds of

Companies

Conconcreto 1Q 2020 Profits Fall 34% Year-on-Year

Medellin Herald May 27, 2020

Medellin-based construction giant Constructora Conconcreto revealed in a May 26 filing with Colombia’s Superfinanciera oversight agency that its first quarter (1Q) 2020 net income fell 34% year-on-year, to COP$20 billion (US$5.3 million). Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) also fell 16% year-on-year, to COP$44.7 billion (US$11.9

Companies

Latam Joins Avianca in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Medellin Herald May 26, 2020

Chile-based Latam Airlines – second only to bankrupt Avianca in Colombian air transport dominance — announced May 26 that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. federal court. The Covid-19 crisis – banning most air traffic — forced Latam to absorb impossible losses, the company noted. For example: Colombia has banned all regular passenger […]

Companies

Peso Depreciation Against U.S. Dollar Causes EPM to Post 1Q 2020 Net Loss

Medellin Herald May 23, 2020

Medellin-based multinational utilities giant EPM on May 22 posted a COP$276 billion (US$73 million) net loss for first quarter (1Q) 2020 –solely because its debt accounting is in U.S. dollars, rather than in sharply-depreciating Colombian pesos. “Due to accounting standards and due to the depreciation of the Colombian peso, understanding the debt that the company