Alsea will open up to 150 Starbucks and Domino's Pizza in 2022

Contreras further explained that the estimated investments for the upcoming year, totaling 4 billion pesos, will allocate 45% of the funds to opening new restaurants in all the markets where Alsea operates, including Mexico, Spain, Chile, and Argentina. He emphasized that these expansion plans are based on the increased foot traffic observed in their restaurants due to fewer mobility restrictions. 

Additionally, opportunities have arisen as some of their competitors had to close due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. "For the coming year, we see great potential for opening new restaurants due to the recovery we are experiencing and the opportunities for new locations. We are finding places that we wouldn't have found before because unfortunately, many of our competitors had to close," stated Contreras. 

 Both Starbucks and Domino's Pizza have achieved significant increases in same-store sales, with a 24.1% growth in Mexico compared to 2019. In Colombia, the growth percentages were 49.5% and 45.5%, respectively. During the first nine months of the year, Alsea opened 42 new units, with 17 of them registered between July and September. Regarding capital expenditures (Capex) for this year, Contreras emphasized that they have carefully managed to preserve liquidity, aiming to close with investments between 2.7 and 3 billion pesos.