La Torre

What La Torre does

Supermercados La Torre is a Guatemalan supermarket chain founded in 1950 by Ernesto Ruiz Sáenz de Tejada in Guatemala City, operating as part of the Unisuper group that was formed in 2001 through a merger with the Econosuper chain and the Arriola family. The company operates a multi-format retail network of 292 stores covering all 18 departments of Guatemala, comprising 129 La Torre full-line supermarkets, 154 Express convenience stores, and 9 Econosuper budget locations, and employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people. Its customer base is segmented across general Guatemalan consumers, specialty/import product seekers, and price-conscious shoppers, with no disclosed B2B or enterprise customers.

The company generates revenue exclusively through one-time retail product sales — groceries, fresh produce, meats, dairy, imported goods, and specialty items including gluten-free, sugar-free, and gourmet lines — distributed across its physical store network and an online shopping and delivery platform. Pricing is built around weekly rotating promotional offers, the "Super 4" buy-four-save-more program, the "3ro Gratis" buy-two-get-third-free promotion, and a digital gift card program operated through the Oh My Card platform. The underlying technology stack is limited to standard supermarket retail operations (digital scanning implemented in 1999) and an e-commerce storefront; no proprietary technology, patents, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Supporting channels include a culinary recipe blog and Facebook/Instagram presence, with marketing heavily reliant on weekly in-store promotional flyers.

La Torre's go-to-market is exclusively domestic Guatemala, with differentiation anchored on nationwide physical density, freshness-focused assortment, and an extensive CSR program spanning education, healthcare, and disaster relief. The business model is a single revenue stream (one-time retail transactions) with no subscription, licensing, or recurring components, and the company competes in a market where international entrant Walmart has been present since 2011 without displacing La Torre's leadership position.

Name

La Torre

Legal name

Supermercados La Torre

Website

https://supermercadoslatorre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Supermercados La Torre is a Guatemalan multi-format supermarket chain operating 292 stores (La Torre, Express, Econosuper) across all 18 departments, serving mass-market Guatemalan consumers with groceries, fresh produce, imports, and specialty items under the Unisuper group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grocery Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331)

akta.pro primary industry

Latin American & Caribbean Grocery Stores (CRAHAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Merchandise Variety-Value Mass Merchandisers (CRAGABAH)

Keywords

• Grocery retail
• Supermarket chain
• Convenience stores
• Fresh produce
• Imported goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Ciudad De Guatemala

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: La Torre generates revenue through traditional supermarket retail sales, selling groceries, fresh produce, imported goods, and specialty products across its 292 physical store locations and online platform in Guatemala.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

La Torre operates a multi-format supermarket chain in Guatemala, selling groceries, fresh produce, meats, dairy, imported goods, and specialty items such as gluten-free, sugar-free, and gourmet products across 129 Supermercados La Torre locations, 154 Express convenience stores, and 9 Econosuper budget stores (292 total). The company supplements in-store shopping with an e-commerce ordering and delivery platform, digital gift cards, and weekly promotional programs such as Super 4 and 3ro Gratis.

Product overview

Supermercados La Torre is a Guatemalan supermarket chain operated by Unisuper, offering a multi-format retail portfolio comprising 129 La Torre supermarkets, 154 Express convenience stores, and 9 Econosuper locations (292 total stores). The core La Torre brand provides fresh produce, meats, imported goods, gluten-free, sugar-free, and gourmet products, supported by promotional programs like Super 4 (buy-4-save-more) and 3ro Gratis (buy-2-get-3rd-free). Additional services include online shopping, gift cards via the Oh My Card platform, and a culinary blog. The company maintains extensive corporate social responsibility programs supporting education, healthcare, and community development through partnerships with various foundations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Super 4: Promotion concept where customers save more starting from the fourth item purchased.
• Gift Card

Products and services

• Supermercados La Torre Flagship supermarket brand of the chain offering a wide range of grocery products including fresh produce, meats, dairy, imported goods, gluten-free, sugar-free, and gourmet items across 129 stores in Guatemala, targeted at general Guatemalan consumers and households.
• Express Convenience store concept offering quick-stop shopping with supermarket prices, operating 154 locations throughout Guatemala for consumers seeking faster, neighborhood-level grocery purchases.
• Econosuper Budget-focused supermarket chain operated under the Unisuper group, with 9 locations offering value-oriented grocery shopping without sacrificing quality, targeted at price-conscious Guatemalan consumers.
• Online Shopping (Compra Online) E-commerce platform enabling Guatemalan consumers to shop online for groceries and receive home delivery, complementing the company's physical store network.
• Gift Card La Torre Digital gift card offering allowing customers to purchase reloadable gift cards redeemable across all La Torre supermarket locations in Guatemala, powered by the Oh My Card platform.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Fundación Margarita TejadaminorOthersLa Torre partnered with Fundación Margarita Tejada to sell cuponeras (discount booklets) from March-April 2024, raising Q1,744,540 for the foundation which provides inclusion programs for people with Down syndrome through the 'Rutas de Oportunidad y Progreso' program.
• Asociación de Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano PedrominorOthersLa Torre participates for 6 consecutive years as a ticket sales center for the 'Rifa El Hermano Pedro quiere 1 millón de amigos' lottery, supporting their Hogares, Salud, and Nutrición programs serving over 390,000 patients annually.
• Centro MooreminorOthersMonthly gift card donations to Centro Moore, a free pediatric hospital performing surgeries for children ages 0-17 in 9 specialties including cleft lip and palate repair.
• AYUVI (Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica)minorOthersLa Torre collaborators voluntarily donate monthly as 'padrinos de esperanza' to AYUVI, which funds pediatric oncology treatment. Over Q4 million raised since 2007.
• Huertos Santa Catarina PalopóminorOthersLa Torre provides funding to support family organic gardens project in Santa Catarina Palopó, helping families develop nutrition with crops like spinach and tomatoes.
• Fundación Juan Bautista GutiérrezminorOthersLa Torre funds 4 full scholarships annually for high-performing students with limited economic resources through the university scholarship program.
• DAR - Fundación RaldaminorOthersMonthly gift card donations (totaling Q3 million+) to DAR, which provides high-quality education and 3 daily meals to children ages 3-18 in Retalhuleu.
• Esperanza JuvenilminorOthersLa Torre has provided paid internships to 50+ young people from limited resources backgrounds, with some achieving permanent employment. Also provides monthly gift cards for food support.
• Museo de los NiñosminorOthersCollaboration since 2017 with the Children's Museum in zone 13, featuring a mini La Torre supermarket where visitors learn about nutrition and money management.
• Liceo CanadienseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2008 for secondary education program (Bachilleres por Madurez) with 80% scholarship, benefiting 1,500+ collaborators across 15 graduating generations.
• Universidad GalileominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2013 providing 80% scholarships for higher education to 300+ collaborators. Also offers postgraduate and master's scholarships since 2022.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• La Curacao: Central American (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama) consumer retail chain primarily selling electronics, appliances, and household goods. Adjacent Central American multi-category retailer with overlapping customer base.
• Grupo FEMSA / OXXO: Mexican multi-format retailer operating the OXXO convenience chain across Central America (including Guatemala). Comparable convenience-store format to La Torre's Express banner and a direct competitor in the urban convenience segment.
• Tiendas por Departamento Siman: Department store chain operating across Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica). Adjacent mass-market retail peer in the Guatemalan market with similar consumer base and omnichannel orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Grupo Roble: Central American conglomerate with diversified real estate and retail operations. Operates shopping centers and mixed-use retail formats that host supermarkets, making it a relevant adjacent incumbent in the Central American retail ecosystem.

Regional players

• Mega Selectos: El Salvadoran supermarket chain with a similar mid-market positioning to La Torre supermarkets. Comparable in scale and assortment strategy, though focused on the Salvadoran market rather than Guatemala.
• Super Selectos: Largest supermarket chain in El Salvador, comparable in scale and family-owned heritage to La Torre. Operates a similar multi-format strategy targeting Central American consumers with similar product mix and promotional intensity.
• Super 99: Panama-based supermarket chain with a comparable multi-format retail platform across the isthmus. Shares Central American operating dynamics, currency exposure profile, and family-business origins with La Torre.
• Palí (Grupo Pellas): Discount supermarket chain in Nicaragua operated by Grupo Pellas. Comparable hard-discount format to Econosuper and convenience footprint to Express, sharing Central American supply-chain and consumer dynamics.

Direct peers

• PriceSmart: Membership warehouse club operating across Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic) and the Caribbean. Comparable multi-country grocery operator with overlapping customer base in Guatemala and similar imported/bulk assortment.
• Walmart de México y Centroamérica (Paiz / Hiper Paiz / Despensa Familiar / Maxi Despensa): Walmart's Central American operating company runs competing supermarket, hypermarket, and discount banners in Guatemala (Hiper Paiz, Despensa Familiar, Maxi Despensa). Direct head-to-head competitor with comparable product mix and significantly larger supply-chain scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/superlatorre
• Facebookfacebook.com/supermercadoslatorre
• Instagraminstagram.com/supermercadoslatorre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unisuper-s.a.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Torre