Sargassum, Tourism Slump and Insecurity Weigh on Chedraui Sales in Southeast Mexico

Mexico City — Weak consumer spending in southeast Mexico is persisting as tourism slows and sargassum and insecurity take a toll, dragging down sales at Grupo Comercial Chedraui, the supermarket chain’s chief executive said.

José Antonio Chedraui told analysts that the southeast accounts for roughly 42% of the company’s sales in Mexico and continues to show softer consumption trends than the rest of the country.

“The region is still being affected by tourism. I think the sargassum, the dollar-peso exchange rate and security have without a doubt hit that region in particular,” Chedraui said on a call presenting the company’s third-quarter 2026 results.

The region has also felt a slowdown in public and private investment, he added.

Sales trail the wider market

Chedraui said same-store sales for the self-service segment tracked by the National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores (ANTAD) fell just over 4% in the southeast during the third quarter, while Chedraui’s own same-store sales slipped about 2%.

Despite the decline, the executive voiced confidence that the region will bounce back, describing current conditions as part of a cycle. “We feel we will be able to recover,” he said.

Chedraui said the company has run its operations efficiently and kept costs and expenses under control to weather the soft patch.

“Despite the slowdown in consumption we have been able to maintain and sometimes even increase our margins, and to stay very aggressive in our pricing strategy. We still hold the gaps that we believe benefit the consumer and let us differentiate ourselves from our competitors,” he said.

Even so, the chief executive said the chain does not see a need to push prices down further to lift volumes, given consumers’ reduced purchasing power.

“When consumers have limited capacity, even if you run more promotions, that doesn’t necessarily translate into better sales,” he said.

Store openings

The company kept expanding during the quarter, opening:

• 22 Supercitos stores
• Three Chedraui stores
• One Super Chedraui
• One Arteli store