Comercial Mexicana

Comercial Mexicana (BMV: COMERCI) (colloquially known as La Comercial or La Comer) is a Mexican hypermarket group, which features stores similar to those owned by Carrefour in France or Wal-Mart in the United States. It is part of the Controladora Comercial Mexicana Group which also co-owns the local Costco warehouse franchise, Sumesa stores, City Market stores, Alprecio stores and Restaurantes California. Comercial Mexicana is the third-largest supermarket chain in Mexico as of 2009. The first store, which opened in Mexico City in 1930, primarily sold textile products.

Comercial Mexicana has different retail formats, with the general stores branded as Comercial Mexicana, the larger stores as Mega Comercial Mexicana and its smaller facilities as Bodega Comercial Mexicana. Many of its general stores are connected to a shopping mall with competing businesses surrounding. An example is Plaza Río in Tijuana, Baja California, which has Comercial Mexicana as an anchor store but also has a traditional department store and smaller specialty stores selling items that can be purchased in Comercial Mexicana.

Comercial Mexicana also has programs for children. In exchange for working in stores as bag boys, the children receive family support, tuition support and educational supplies, and basic services. The children wear almost-trademark brown uniforms with the orange pelican logo and are expected to be well groomed. They help most of the customers out of the store and return the carts, which in turn keeps the shopping cart thefts low.

Carlos González Nova, Comercial Mexicana's co-founder, served as the chairman of the company's board of directors until 1998. He remained the honorary chairman of Comercial Mexicana until his death on August 19, 2009, at the age of 92.

Carlos González Nova's son, Carlos González Zabalegui, is the company's current executive chairman and CEO of the company as of August 2009.