GPA plans to invest $ 2 billion in 2013

The Pão de Açúcar group will propose to the general meeting of shareholders, on 17/4, a company's investment plan for 2013 worth up to $ 2,022 billion. The information contained in the proposal presented by the management on material sent to CVM (Brazilian Securities Commission). Annually, the company, controlled by the French Casino, reports the maximum value of the investment.
The investment value rose. As the Portal SM reported in February, Aeneas Pestana, President of the group, r $ 1.5 billion of investments for this year.
If it reaches this amount, the sum will be 28.3% greater than the total applied in 2012, when investments reached r $ 1,576 billion. This sum of just over $ 2 billion is four times the amount paid by the Group five years ago, in 2008, when the company had not yet if associated with Casas Bahia, the largest business already closed by the retail group until today.
Over the past two years, the amount invested has remained at a stable level. In 2011 and 2012, the Pão de Açúcar Group invested just over $ 1.5 billion a year.
According to the Administration proposal, the amount invested in 2013 will be destined for the opening of shops, land acquisition, conversion and reform points, in information technology and logistics. In addition to Casas Bahia, business that has expanded the network investments, the Group has applied resources, especially in the purchase of land for organic expansion-operation administered by GPA Malls & Properties-and in the wholesale business, which requires stores with large areas of land for sale with high prices.
In recent years, the network promotes investment maximum values, but generally pays a sum lower than advertised. In 2012, the reported ceiling was about $ 1.9 billion and disbursements reached r $ 1.5 billion.
The retail group has also reported to the 2013 investment plan of controlled Via retail (formed from the Union of Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio), to be voted on in the House this month. The predicted value reaches $ 455 million this year, 37.5% above the sum applied in 2012.
The need to expand investments increases in retail because it is organic expansion that has guaranteed to further growth. Sales of new shops (under one year) have advanced at a speed well above those of antique shops. At Sugarloaf, only sales of antique shops (more than one year of operation) grew 5.6% in the fourth quarter. When you include the new points in this calculation, the rate rises to 9%.