Bodega Aurrerá is a Mexican discount-store owned by American discount chain Walmart. The chain was first established in 1970 in Mexico City. Though every Aurrerá store was converted into Walmart, both Aurrerá and Bodega Aurrerá names survived, the former as a product brand and the latter as a store.
In Mexico, the Arango brothers, Jerónimo, Placido and Manuel, founded the stores Aurrerá thinking in a supermarket model, with household items and clothing at cheaper prices. Aurrerá in Basque means “Come on” .
1958: Opens the first Aurrerá store, with the Bolívar location.
1960: Begins to operate the store brand of Superama.
1964: Starts the operation of Vips Restaurants.
1970: Begins the operations of the Suburbia and Bodega Aurrerá store brands.
1976: Inaugurates the first Distribution Center in Mexico (in Spanish, CEDIS).
1978: Opening of the restaurant chain El Portón (The Gate).
1986: Creates the organization Grupo Cifra, for the administration of stores and restaurants in Mexico.
1990: Aurrerá starts the usage of the barcode system in Mexico.
1991: Walmart and Cifra create a joint venture, the International Division of Walmart Stores, and Walmart signs a partnership agreement with Cifra. The first Sam's Club store in Mexico opens.
1993: They begin operations as Walmart Supercenter stores. The Aurrerá supermarkets change their style and design, as Walmart stores.
1994: The brands of Suburbia and Vips are joined, under the association Cifra/Walmart Distribuidora, S.A. de C.V.
1997: Walmart buys most of the shares, and acquires control of the company.
2000: Grupo Cifra is renamed as Walmart de Mexico.
2001: Aurrerá stores become Walmart Supercenters and Warehouse Aurrerá.
2005: Walmart Mexico creates the store brand Mi Bodega Aurrerá, which currently has over 50 units in various parts of the Mexican Republic. It is a variant of Bodega Aurrerá, with less store area and fewer products.
2007: Bodega Aurrerá has about 300 locations, driving retail prices lower for much of the Mexican Republic.
2012: Bodega Aurrerá has 372 stores.
