Cencosud to set up digital technology hub in Uruguay

Chilean retail group Cencosud is setting up a central business unit (a "hub") in Uruguay to take care of technology, digitalisation and innovation and to advance the digital ecosystem for the group. The hub will develop solutions in the areas of e-commerce, marketplace, retail media and data analytics, among others. It will be located in Montevideo, and the unit is expected to start regular operations in March 2023. By the end of 2023, a team of more than 200 employees will be working for the group in Montevideo.

“The start of activities in Uruguay, a country that is becoming a hub for technology companies, is part of our growth guidance and business expansion in the Latin American region,” CEO Matías Videla says.

For this year, Cencosud defined a plan to strengthen its digital proposal, allocating resources to developing apps in all markets to achieve friendlier shopping experiences, expanding logistics capabilities, enabling new dark stores in the region, deepening CRM and advanced analytics to improve customer relations and promote new business channels, such as Cencosud Media, among other projects.

Uruguay has consistently implemented a policy that seeks to turn that country into a pole of technological development in the region, which is complemented by its social and economic stability, dynamic innovation ecosystem, modern technological infrastructure, qualified and multilingual human resources, and a high quality of life. Many multinational technology companies have established regional operations centres in Uruguay.

With this start of activities, Cencosud adds Uruguay to its international presence, taking into account that it is already in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, and recently in the United States, with the purchase of The Fresh Market. In the home improvement business, in addition to Chile with the Easy distribution line, Cencosud is present in Argentina (Easy and Blaisten) and Colombia (Blaisten).