Exito 1Q 2025 Profits Jump Year-on-Year, Reversing Losses
Medellin-based multinational supermarket/dry-goods giant Grupo Éxito announced May 14 that its first quarter (1Q) 2025 profits hit COP$93 billion (US$22 million) — a big improvement over the COP$38 billion (US$9 million) net loss in 1Q 2024.
Consolidated revenues — excluding dollar-to-peso exchange rate effects — rose 3.9% year-on-year, to COP$5.4 trillion (US$1.29 billion).
Recurring earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 23% year-on-year, to COP$371 billion (US$88.8 million), as EBITDA margin rose 24.7%, to 6.9% (excluding the exchange rate effect), according to the company.
The 1Q 2025 net income result “was our best in the last decade for a first quarter of a year . . . generating a profit greater than the entire net income of 2024,” according to Éxito.
The improvement in EBITDA came partly from better real-estate businesses in Argentina, but mostly from better operations in Colombia and Uruguay, “which grew their EBITDA by 28.4% and 28.7% respectively in local currency,” according to Éxito.
“Revenues in Colombia were $4 trillion [US$957 million], growing 2.6% in the quarter, with same-store sales growing 4.7%, as a result of the commercial strategies implemented in the country and the contribution of complementary businesses.
“Uruguay increased its revenues by 5.3% in local currency as a result of a record-breaking tourist season. Meanwhile, in Argentina, revenues grew 18.9% in local currency, amid a challenging context for the country in terms of consumption,” the company added.
In Colombia, “Grupo Éxito cultivates opportunities to strengthen local and direct purchasing from producers and manufacturers in the textile sector: 93.6% of the fruits and vegetables sold by Grupo Éxito in Colombia come from local suppliers, and almost 95% of our own-brand garments are made in Colombia by Colombian hands,” according to the company.
“Sales through e-commerce and direct channels in Colombia, Uruguay, and Argentina grew 2.7% in the first quarter of 2025. In Colombia, they accounted for a 13.6% share of total sales in the country and registered 5.8 million orders,” the company explained.
Meanwhile, “the real-estate business was a significant driver of growth for Grupo Éxito in the region. In Colombia, it increased ourrecurring revenue by 12.2% and in Argentina by 100.9%, in local currency,” the company added.
