Blog

February 9, 2009
By Vicente Arenas  

At Mi Tienda H-E-B in Pasadena, the goal is to make customers feel like they’re in a different country. 

“We built this as though you were going to different villages in Mexico,” Juan Alonso of H-E-B said.

At a time when many businesses are struggling, Mi Tienda continues to increase its profits every month.That was not the case when the store opened as a traditional grocer two years ago. 

The company shut down that store and reopened with a new look and name.

“This was somewhat risky, because we are going after a specific consumer,” Alonso said.

But it worked, and now other companies are following suit, catering to Hispanics.

Wal-Mart and Sams Club are building a store that targets Latinos on Houston’s north side.

“Companies are being much smarter about who their customer is and finding their true niche in finding how to cater to this marketplace,” Randy Stockdale of Lopez Negrete Communications said.

The Mas Club is an experimental pilot for Sams Club. The company hopes it will go over well in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.

The new stores will give established operations like Fiesta even more competition, which could translate into better prices for shoppers. 

Solurce: KHOU.com