Big takeover planned? K-Kiosk vending machine becomes machine of the Mexican brand Oxxo
Two years ago, a Mexican retail group took over the Swiss kiosk company Valora, which includes K-Kiosk and Avec. So far, there has been no sign of this, but now an Oxxo vending machine has appeared.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In 2022, the time had come: the Mexican retail group Femsa bought the Swiss kiosk company Valora.
- Valora operates well-known names such as K-Kiosk, Avec, Caffè Spettacolo, Brezelkönig and Press&Books.
- Since then, there has been no sign of the Mexican company's presence in Switzerland.
- But now, as CH Media reports, a vending machine from the Mexican retail chain Oxxo has appeared in Zurich-Seebach - what does this mean?
The big takeover deal took place back in 2022: The Mexican retail group Femsa bought the Swiss kiosk company Valora, which is behind well-known names such as K-Kiosk, Avec, Caffè Spettacolo, Brezelkönig and Press&Books.
Why does a company from Mexico want to take over Swiss kiosks? According to CH Media, the then CEO of Femsa, Daniel Rodriguez, who died in 2023, said: "We plan to use Valora as a gateway for our expansion in Europe."
The fact that a Mexican retail group has been behind K-Kiosk or Avec for some time has not yet been noticed. Products from Mexico have not been secretly placed on the shelves, nor have the names of the kiosk chains been changed.
But now the vending machine at Zurich-Seebach station suddenly has a new look and is labeled with a brand that may be unknown to many: the former blue and white K-Kiosk vending machine at the streetcar and bus stop there has given way to a grey, yellow and red machine with the inscription Oxxo. This was reported by CH Media.
According to the report, the Oxxo vending machine has recently been installed there. Is this Femsa's way of making a statement and showing its presence in Switzerland?
Vending machine was converted for a visit from Mexico
Valora spokesperson Sascha Heiniger gives the all-clear to CH Media for the time being: "We have converted our vending machine into an Oxxo vending machine due to a visit from Femsa managers from Mexico to give them a treat."
As CH Media continues, they are also trying to find out how well a previously unknown brand is received by Swiss vending machine customers.
This trial is currently planned until the end of the year, after which the Oxxo lettering will be removed.
Exact expansion plans unclear
Femsa generates annual sales of around 30 billion Swiss francs. Almost 400,000 people work in the approximately 23,000 pharmacies and supermarkets that the retail group operates in Latin America. Oxxo is just one of Femsa's brands.
Valora operates in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The company currently has around 2,800 small outlets.
Valora was acquired by Femsa in 2022. The exact expansion plans of the Mexican group in this country, but also for the whole of Europe, are still unknown.
