Grupo Bimbo
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (November 2012) |
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| Company type | Sociedad Anónima Bursátil de Capital Variable |
|---|---|
| BMV: BIMBO | |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | worldwide |
Key people | Roberto Servitje Sendra (Chairman) Daniel Servitje Montull (CEO) |
| Products | Bread products, candies, pastries etc. |
| Revenue |  US$ 13.2 billion (2012)[1] |
 US$ 155.6 million (2012)[1] | |
Number of employees | 126.000 |
| Website | www |
Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbimbo]; BMV: BIMBO) is the world's largest baking company,[2] with brands in the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
Its headquarters are in Santa Fe and in Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City.[3][4]
Etymology
The name Bimbo was first coined in 1945 when the company was re-branded from its previous name, Super Pan S.A. A mixing of the words bingo and Bambi,[5] Bimbo's innocent, childlike associations were felt to fit the brand image the company wished to build. (The English word bimbo, with its negative connotations, has no cognates in Spanish.)
The name "Bimbo" has almost become a synonym for loaf bread in Mexico.
History
Grupo Bimbo was established in Mexico in 1945 by Lorenzo Servitje, Jose T. Mata, Jaime Sendra, and Jaime Jorba. Today it is the most important baking company in brand and trademark positioning, sales, and production volume around the world. The company became the world's largest bread manufacturing company in 2011, reporting $10.7 billion in sales. This was a steep increase from the $4.67 billion in sales in 2004. In Mexico and Latin America, the company is the market share leader, selling over 10,000 products under more than 103 household brands including: Bimbo, Marinela, Nutrella, Sara Lee, Fargo, Lactal, Bimbo España, Silueta, Ortíz, Martínez, and Eagle.
Grupo Bimbo products are sold in 19 countries worldwide including: Mexico, Brasil, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, United States, China, Spain and Portugal on 4 continents: North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. It operates 153 plants (43 in Mexico and 110 abroad), 2 trading agencies and 8 joint ventures.
Grupo Bimbo has the most extensive distribution network in Mexico and one of the largest in the American Continent, with over 51,000 routes. It includes more than 2.2 millions of sales points located in 19 countries.
Since 1980, Grupo Bimbo has been traded in the Mexican Stock Exchange. It comprises six organizations and a corporate department that operates companies in the baking industry and in general, in the food industry. The company also makes the majority of the machinery used in its factories through its industrial development branch, as well as a large part of the plastic packaging they use on their products.
The brand is highly trusted for quality and taste.[citation needed] It has one of the most extensive distribution networks in Latin America, often making its products available even in the most remote places.[citation needed] Grupo Bimbo participates in multiple social work projects related to environmental protection, education, nutrition and community improvement.
In 1964, Grupo Bimbo introduced sliced bread in Spain. In 1978, the Mexican group sold all its shares and the Spanish firm operates independently[6] The Portuguese and Spanish Bimbo were acquired by Sara Lee in 2001[7] Many still refer to the bread as "pan bimbo"[citation needed]. In 2011 Group Bimbo acquired Bimbo Spain and Portugal from Sara Lee and renamed it Bimbo Iberia.[8]
The corporate image, a small white teddy bear, was inspired by a Christmas card sent by the grandson of the company's founder to his grandmother during the early 1950s[citation needed]. The teddy bear in the picture was thought to be ideal as Bimbo's corporate image, and was, literally, stripped of its clothes and given a white apron and a chef's hat[citation needed]. To represent Grupo Bimbo, which also encompasses non-food related companies, a new more traditional and mainstream logo was developed. However, the white teddy bear remains the image the general public most relates to Bimbo as a brand.
Along with ConAgra, Flowers Foods, and Little Debbie-baker McKee Foods, Grupo Bimbo has expressed an interest in acquiring brands (namely, Twinkies) from the Hostess Company (it is considered the leading prospective buyer). Hostess has applied for final liquidation and bankruptcy following a baker's union strike. Such a move would help to extend the longevity of such noted brands.[9]
Net Sales
| Year | Total net sales (in US$ billions) | Sales abroad (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 8.9 | 55 |
| 2010 | 9.2 | 53 |
| 2011 | 10.7 | 54 |
Expansion
On December 10, 2008, it was announced that Grupo Bimbo bought WFI (Weston Foods Inc.) a subsidiary of George Weston Ltd. for $2.38 billion, making Grupo Bimbo the largest bakery company in the USA and the only bakery in the USA with a national footprint. They now own brands such as Arnold, Boboli, Brownberry, Entenmann's, Freihofer's, Stroehmann, and Thomas', plus 22 factories and 4,000 delivery trucks.[10][11]
On November 9, 2010, Sara Lee Corporation said that by selling its North American Fresh Bakery unit to Grupo Bimbo, it could grow in other areas. The $959 million deal gives Sara Lee the right to continue using the Sara Lee name on frozen desserts and meat products. Grupo Bimbo will use the Sara Lee name for fresh-baked products around the world except for Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The deal also means Grupo Bimbo gets 41 plants and the regional brands Grandma Sycamore's, Heiner's and Rainbo. Adding to its Horsham, Pennsylvania-based Bimbo Bakeries USA, Grupo Bimbo will significantly expand its coverage of the United States.[12]
On October 10, 2011, Grupo Bimbo bought Sara Lee's operations in Spain and Portugal.
On November 19, 2012 Forbes Magazine reports Grupo Bimbo is considering buying the bankrupt bakery company Hostess Brands, Inc.
On February 28, 2013 Bimbo won the bid to Hostess Brands, Inc.
Sponsorship partners
Grupo Bimbo is shirt sponsor for three teams of Mexicos top-flight professional soccer league, Primera Division (First Division). Grupo Bimbo's logo can be seen on the front of the América, Chivas de Guadalajara, and Monterrey teams jerseys. They are also the shirt sponsor for Saprissa of Costa Rica and five-time Primera División champions A.D. Isidro Metapán and the Panamanian soccer team San Francisco F.C. that plays in Liga Panameña de Futbol. On January 11, 2011, Bimbo, whose United States operations are headquartered near Philadelphia, became the jersey sponsor for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.
Delivery trucks
Up to twenty different truck models have been used as Bimbo delivery trucks since the late 1930s. These include 1960s Ford vans, 1990s Chevrolet, Renault, Dodge and Nissan. Mercedes Sprinter delivery vans are currently used.[citation needed] While Bimbo's vehicles were beige by the 1950s, Wonder, Marinela, Barcel and Bimbo trucks have been white since the 1960s, with Tía Rosa trucks remaining beige. Ricolino started using small leisure activity vehicles (Peugeot Partner and Renault Kangoo) coloured in royal blue. [citation needed] Twelve plastic 1:60 models of Bimbo trucks were released in 1998, ranging from the 1940s and 1950s beige panels from the 1990s electric van, and a special edition trailer. These were available in delivery vans and special packages where available, containing the blank model and stickers for the proper decoration.
Main Brands
 |
- Arnold is a brand of loaf bread primarily sold throughout the United States and Mexico.
- Barcel is a Mexican brand producing potato chips and other confections, such as Duvalín, primarily sold throughout the United States and Mexico.
- Bimbo breads and cakes are found in major United States cities with large Mexican and Mexican-American populations.
- Boboli is a producer of ready made pizza crusts.
- BranFruit brand cereal bars are sold only in Mexico.
- Brownberry is a brand for specialty breads.
- Cena is a Chilean budget bread brand.
- Coronado cajeta and goat-milk caramel have been produced since 1932.
- Eagle dried fruits.
- El Globo is a Mexican fine pastry bakery founded in 1884 (bought in 2005 from Grupo Carso).
- Entenmann's pastry products are sold in the United States.
- Fargo is the leading producer and distributor of bread and baked goods in Argentina.[13]
- Francisco
- Freihofer's is a bread and pastry baker originally based in Troy, NY, United States.
- Ideal is Bimbo's Chilean bread brand; though the Bimbo name is not used, Ideal shares the same logo as Bimbo.
- Lara produces salted and sweet cookies.
- LonchiBon brand instant microwave foods are sold only in Mexico.
- Los Sorchantes brand for bread used in Uruguay
- Marinela is a producer of Mexican cookies and snack cakes founded around 1950. In Colombia, the brand is known as Marisela. It also is sold throughout the United States.
- Marinela's Gansito is a snack cake similar to Chocodiles
- Martínez is a leading brand of cakes and pastries in Spain.
- Milpa Real produces corn and flour tortillas, as well as tostadas in different variations.
- Mrs. Baird's is a leading bakery primarily present in Texas and surrounding states.
- Old Country
- Oroweat loaf bread is primarily sold throughout the United States and Mexico.
- Ortiz Spanish toasted bread company.
- Plus Vita bread, cakes and cereal bars are produced and sold in Brazil and Mexico.
- Pullman also produces bread and cakes in Brazil.
- Ricolino makes confectionery, candy and chocolates, with plants in Mexico, Europe and the United States.
- Sara Lee
- Stroehmann's, with Oroweat above, is a producer of loaf bread in the United States.
- Suandy is a brand for of breads and pastries.
- Thomas' produces and sells English muffins and bagels.
- Tía Rosa markets home-style bread, pastries and tortillas.
- Wonder branded bread in Mexico only is owned by Bimbo.[14]
Relevant acquisitions
2005 La Corona and El Globo in Mexico
2006 El Molino in Mexico, Panrico in China
2008 Galletas Gabi in Mexico, Laura and Nutrellain Brazil
2009 Weston Foods, Inc in United States
2010 Dulces Vero
2011 Sara Lee North American Fresh Bakery
2011 Fargo in Argentina
2011 Bimbo España and Portugal
References
- ^ a b "GRUPO BIMBO SAB- SERIES A". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Alonso, Ramiro (December 11, 2008). "Bimbo abre la chequera" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-01-21.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Shareholder Information." Grupo Bimbo. Retrieved on November 17, 2012. "Corporative Bimbo, S.A. de C.V. Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma No. 1000 Col. Peña Blanca Santa Fe Delegación Álvaro Obregón Mexico City 01210"
- ^ "Notice of Privacy." Grupo Bimbo. Retrieved on November 17, 2012. "Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma No. 1000, Col. Peña Blanca Santa Fe, Mexico City, Mexico, CP 01210"
- ^ "Bimbo a story to believe and create" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-01-21.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|trans_title=(help) - ^ Historia de Bimbo at the Bimbo Spanish Website.
- ^ Sara Lee at the Bimbo Spanish Website.
- ^ Bimbo Iberia.
- ^ http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/17/15245611-mexican-company-bimbo-may-be-eyeing-twinkies?lite
- ^ "Compra Bimbo WFI en 2,380 mdd; será una de las panificadoras más grandes en EU". Invertia (in Spanish). Mexico. December 10, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Hugh Collins and Andres R. Martinez (December 10, 2008). "Grupo Bimbo Buys Weston Bread Unit for $2.4 Billion". Bloomberg.
- ^ "Sara Lee to sell North American bakery unit for $959 million". News & Record. Associated Press. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ http://www.grupobimbo.com/en/our-group/structure.html
- ^ http://www.grupobimbo.com.mx
