Wal-mart now owns 33.3% of the Corporación Supermercados Unidos, which owns Hipermas, Pali, Mas X Menos, and Servimas. The purchase was actually part of a larger transaction where Wal-Mart bought the shares that the Dutch giant Royal Ahold owned in the American Retail Holding Company (CARHCO), due to the financial crisis they are suffering.

CARCHCO was formed in 2001 by Corporacion Supermercados Unidos (Costa Rica), Corporacion de Compañias Agroindustriales de Costa Rica and Grupo Fragua of Guatemala. The company has 363 outlets in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Wal-Mart owns 5,350 sgtores in 10 countries, but say they currently have no plans to open stores in Costa Rica, despite the shopping spree.