Shoppers Swarm New Hipermas
Corporación Supermercados Unidos (owners of Mas X Menos, Pali, Hipermas and Maxi Bodega) should get a nice pat on the back from its new partner Wal-mart after the stampede of shoppers during the inauguration of the new Hipermas in Guadelupe. The superstore is located at the old Gallito candy factory which was closed by Philip Morris when they bought the company. The location is along the beltway, about 2 km north of Mall San Pedro and the intersection is commonly known as the "antiguo Gallito"
The store has parking for 454 cars, 31 cashiers, and is now offering a fortnight of grand opening specials not available elsewhere in the chain. But it wasn’t enough as 15,000 shoppers plowed into the store, which is the 4th of this kind for CSU, in the first six hours is was open.
Also in this area, Pricesmart will be opening a fourth location very soon. CSU invested $15 million in the store and the construction was done in the course of this year. A unique feature in the store, because of the small size of the lot it is built on, is the mechanical loading ramp. Customers ride the ramp up and down with the shopping carts to the underground parking garage.