In recent years, there has been an exponential
growth of convenience stores in Mexico in the hands of large companies such as
Grupo Femsa (Coca-Cola), Grupo Modelo, Grupo Chapa and Organizacion Soriana.
Only OXXO stores by Grupo Femsa, the most representative of the sector, have
covered 73% of the market with almost 9,000 units according to the National
Statistical Directory of Economic Units (DENUE), INEGI.
The loss of traditional neighborhood shops in
front of these establishments, is imminent; they impact heavily on the local
social and economic sectors, covering the market that before had been absorbed by
small sundries. Despite offering a less
personalized and pleasant service because usually their dependents not belong to
the area, they have a wider product range, nationally standardized prices despite
contingencies, extended hours of service and they are located at intersections
and strategic points that allow us to easily locate them. There is no accurate
study of the impact of convenience stores on local business, but according to
the National Chamber of Commerce in Pachuca, the opening of every convenience
store affects 5 local establishments; another version from the Guadalajara Council
Office says that in 2013, 1 local store closed for every convenience store in
the area and another version from Peter Homberg Lehman, president of the
Business Coordinating Council of Mexico, says that every convenience store
makes 35 local business to close with a range of 5 kilometers. Without a statistical
comparison for previous censuses as we currently have the DENUE, it is
difficult to know the real impact outside the subjectivities of those who handle
this data, which does not refer to any studies or verifiable information.
In urban and architectural terms, more than
12,000 convenience stores of all different brands throughout the country, also
have an impact that should be considered and regulated at local level. Only in
historic centers and magical towns, INAH has made contextualized them their characteristics
to local standards without the use of vivid colors, gloss and neon signs,
however almost all municipalities and delegations do not have the control in
urban areas allowing a stylistic unification of every corner in the country.
Anybody could distinguish between an OXXO in Los Cabos and another in
Aguascalientes?
From the building and urban image regulations of
the municipalities, they can regulate the architectural style of these
establishments to be contextualized to the characteristics of each region,
starting by removing the front parking that seriously modify the continuity of
facades and generate, in many cases, serious street conflicts and dangerous vehicle
intersections. If their function is to attend a local public due to their
radios for small action, they could encourage walkability and the use of
non-motorized transport such as bicycles, placing biciracks, terraces that
promote the use of public space and rear parking with just one access.
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| Suggested design for an OXXO |
The Mexican architecture which both internal
and foreign people have struggled to maintain in Los Cabos to provide this
characteristic image for the destination, should not ignore the convenience
stores as any other space, as we talked about in our second entry on this blog.
As an exercise of reinterpretation of these establishments, we took on the task
of generating a proposal for the OXXO located at the intersection of Miguel
Hidalgo and 5 de Mayo in downtown Cabo San Lucas. We removed the front parking to
set one rear with a gathered access and as the traditional colonial houses have,
we proposed an internal patio with green areas; this way, the facade results in
a construction aligned to the street as most of buildings in the area. The
volumes are simple in a horizontal proportion style, with a geometric grid of
windows and doors that give a more contemporary look, and it is topped with a detail
in quarry. Ensuring that the project joins the public space, in the less busy
street, the building has a terrace with a sloping wood and clay roof supported
by four stone columns and where we proposed a direct access to the store.
Respecting the corporate image of the company, red and yellow are proposed in
duller colors for the walls with a faded finished on a rough texture where also
we proposed apparent use of materials such as quarry, brick and wood,
traditionally used in the local architecture. Do you like our proposal?
JPV
If you want to see more of this, we leave the links in which we have obtained information.
http://www2.oxxo.com/oxxo/faq.html
http://www.empresa-pyme.com/_blog/OXXO-FRANQUICIA
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxxo
http://www.femsa.com/es/business/comercio/
http://www.unionjalisco.mx/articulo/2013/06/04/gobierno/guadalajara/una-tiendita-cierra-por-cada-tres-nuevos-oxxos-y-7-eleven
http://www.estosdias.com.mx/blog/archivos/361
http://hidalgo.quadratin.com.mx/economia/Canaco-quiere-frenar-Oxxos-en-Hidalgo-y-abrir-Tuzo-Express/
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