Carulla

What Carulla does

Carulla is a Colombian supermarket brand owned by Almacenes Éxito S.A. (NIT 890900608-9), the retail subsidiary of Grupo Éxito, one of Colombia's largest retail conglomerates. Operating since 1905 per firmographic records (1949 per the company history block), Carulla serves Colombian households with a broad assortment spanning groceries, fresh produce, meat (beef and pork), dairy, wine and spirits, household cleaning, personal care, beauty, baby care, pet supplies, and consumer electronics. The brand is positioned at the premium end of the Colombian grocery segment and targets horizontal mass-market demand as its primary customer segment, with secondary segments in wine/spirits enthusiasts, electronics buyers, and home/personal care shoppers.

The business operates a hybrid omnichannel model combining physical supermarket storefronts with a digital ecosystem built on the VTEX e-commerce platform (carulla.com) backed by Firebase for content storage. Customers transact through the website, a dedicated iOS/Android mobile app (App Carulla), a WhatsApp ordering line (+57 305 261 44 67), in-store shopping, the Compra y Recoge (BOPIS) service, and home delivery (Domicilios) with free shipping on orders ≥$200,000 COP. The platform hosts a third-party marketplace featuring electronics sellers (Tecnoova online, Smartbuy_co, Worldmobile av, La fabrica del iphone, among others), generating incremental marketplace commission revenue alongside core retail product sales. Supporting infrastructure includes the Puntos Colombia loyalty program, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X), email/newsletter, and recurring promotional programs (ImPRECIOnantes, Precio Insuperable, Día Diamante).

Revenue mechanics are unit-pricing-driven across 100,000+ SKUs with promotional discounts ranging from 15% to 57%, supplemented by marketplace commission income on third-party transactions. The catalog spans entry-level household items (from ~$10,800 COP) to premium electronics (up to ~$7.3 million COP). Carulla's strategic positioning rests on its integration with Grupo Éxito's supply chain, the brand's heritage in the Colombian premium-grocery segment, and its multi-channel convenience proposition — all leveraged to defend against pure-play digital grocery competitors in Colombia's urban centers.

Name

Carulla

Legal name

Almacenes Éxito S.A.

Website

https://carulla.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carulla is a Colombian supermarket brand operated by Almacenes Éxito S.A. (Grupo Éxito), selling groceries, fresh produce, wine, electronics, and household items to Colombian consumers through physical stores, a VTEX-powered e-commerce site, mobile app, and WhatsApp ordering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supermarket Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511), Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Line Supermarkets (National/Regional Chains) (CRAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Online grocery retail
• Supermarket chain
• Home delivery service
• Fresh produce sales
• Loyalty program integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Core revenue from selling physical products across categories including groceries, fresh produce, meat, dairy, wines and liquors, household items, beauty and personal care, technology and electronics, and more through both online and physical retail channels
2. Marketplace Commission: Third-party marketplace allowing external sellers (such as 'Tecnoova online', 'Dale clic shop', 'Videojuegos jj online', 'Smartbuy_co', 'Worldmobile av', 'La fabrica del iphone') to sell products on the platform, earning commissions on transactions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Carulla operates an omnichannel supermarket retail platform selling groceries, fresh produce, meat, dairy, wines and spirits, household items, personal care, and electronics through physical stores, an e-commerce website (carulla.com), a mobile app, and WhatsApp ordering. The company also hosts a third-party marketplace for electronics and specialized products, and offers home delivery with free shipping on orders over $200,000 COP. The catalog spans 100,000+ SKUs serving Colombian household shoppers.

Product overview

Carulla is a Colombian supermarket and online retail platform operated by Almacenes Éxito S.A. (Grupo Éxito), offering both a full-featured e-commerce website (carulla.com) and a mobile app. The core offering is an online marketplace where customers can shop for groceries, fresh produce, meat, wine and spirits, household items, personal care, electronics, and more. Key service features include Compra y Recoge (buy online, pick up in store), WhatsApp-based ordering, and home delivery with free shipping on qualifying orders. Carulla runs multiple promotional programs including ImpreCIOnantes (discount deals), Precio Insuperable (everyday low prices on staples), and Día Diamante (periodic special promotions). The platform's product portfolio spans 100,000+ SKUs across categories such as fresh produce, dairy, pantry staples, meat (beef and pork), wine and spirits, beer, electronics, home appliances, clothing, beauty, cleaning, and pet supplies. A loyalty program called Puntos Colombia rewards frequent shoppers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carulla.com E-commerce Platform Online supermarket storefront enabling customers to browse, purchase, and order groceries, fresh produce, beverages, household items, electronics, and more for home delivery or store pickup. Built on the VTEX e-commerce platform.
• App Carulla (Mobile Application) Dedicated mobile application for iOS and Android enabling customers to browse and purchase products, manage their accounts, track orders, and access promotional offers on smartphones and tablets.
• Compra y Recoge (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) Buy-online-pick-up-in-store service that lets customers place orders digitally and collect them at a chosen Carulla store location, with no additional pickup fee.
• Domicilios (Home Delivery Service) Home delivery service bringing ordered products directly to the customer's address. Free shipping is available on orders meeting a $200,000 COP minimum purchase threshold across participating brands and product categories.
• Carulla Third-Party Marketplace Multi-vendor marketplace on the Carulla platform where third-party sellers list and sell consumer electronics, smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, audio equipment, televisions, and other specialized products. Carulla earns commissions on these transactions.
• Cava, Vinos y Licores (Wine, Beer and Spirits Retail) Specialty alcoholic beverage category featuring wines, whisky, rum, aguardiente, tequila, brandy, vodka, gin, cocktails, national and imported beers, and related mixers, available for in-store, online, and pickup purchase.
• Tecnología y Electrodomésticos (Electronics and Appliances Retail) Electronics and appliances category featuring televisions, audio equipment, computers, tablets, gaming consoles, smartphones, and home appliances available for purchase on the platform.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Grupo ÉxitocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarulla operates as a subsidiary brand under Grupo Éxito, Colombia's leading retail group. The partnership provides Carulla with access to Grupo Éxito's supply chain infrastructure, distribution networks, loyalty program (Puntos Colombia), corporate resources, and cross-brand promotional platforms including the shared exito.com ecosystem.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Falabella: Large Latin American department store retailer with a Colombian online and physical footprint, competing with Carulla in electronics, home appliances, and general merchandise categories.
• Mercado Libre Colombia: Dominant Latin American online marketplace competing with Carulla's marketplace and electronics categories, and increasingly in grocery-adjacent categories across Colombia.

Emerging players

• Rappi: Colombian super-app and on-demand delivery platform with growing grocery vertical (Rappi Turbo, dark stores) competing with Carulla on speed of delivery and convenience.

Direct peers

• Éxito: Grupo Éxito's flagship hypermarket banner and direct sibling brand to Carulla in Colombia, operating a similar omnichannel grocery and general merchandise model across physical stores and exito.com.
• Ara: Jerónimo Martins' hard-discount grocery banner in Colombia, directly competing with Carulla and Éxito for everyday grocery baskets through a low-price, limited-assortment model.
• Tiendas D1: Hard-discount grocery chain in Colombia (also under Grupo Éxito) targeting price-sensitive households with limited SKUs at very low price points, pressuring Carulla's mid-market and premium grocery traffic.
• Olímpica: Colombian supermarket and big-box chain with broad grocery, household, and electronics assortment across the Caribbean and other Colombian regions, competing head-to-head with Carulla in urban grocery retail.
• Jumbo: Cencosud Colombia's hypermarket chain offering groceries, fresh produce, electronics, and household goods through both physical stores and online channels, directly competing with Carulla in the Colombian supermarket category.
• Alkosto: Colombian big-box retailer specializing in electronics, appliances, and home goods, overlapping with Carulla's marketplace electronics assortment and price-driven promotional cadence.

Regional players

• Homecenter (Sodimac): Colombian home improvement and construction retail chain overlapping with parts of Carulla's home, household, and appliance assortment across Latin America.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PlaceresCarulla
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmFF7DHCnRoK79xjS3bcTIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SupermercadosCarulla
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carulla
• Instagraminstagram.com/placerescarulla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Carulla