A group of  Costa Rican cooperatives, associations and companies are considering a purchase offer for the supermarket chain Gessa, in a bid to try to stop Walmart from making the acquisition, opening the door for transnational companies to dominate the local market.

Rumors were once rife in Panama that the Super 99 chain in Panama, owned by Ricardo Martinelli was considering an offer from Walmart.

Elfinancierocr.com announced that a group of companies, cooperatives, and associations, led by the National Chamber of Social Solidarity Economy, is working on a proposal to present to the owners of Grupo Empresarial de Supermercados (Gessa). reports CentralAmericaData

At the end of July, Walmart announced that it had filed with the Commission for the Promotion of Competition (Coprocom), a proposal to acquire the supermarket chains Perimercados, Súper Compro and the Saretto store, which currently belong to Gessa.

Monserrat Ruiz, executive director of Canaes, explained to Elfinancierocr.com that "... they hope to generate a dialogue table, in the next 15 days, with the stakeholders interested in investing and in that way be able to approach the owners of the formats Peri, Super Compro and Saretto. 'We want to defend the market of organizations for solidarity social economy in retail matters and this includes being able to generate a strategy to talk to Gessa.

The idea of participation is that it not be in the hands of large, transnational companies, which in the end would have 75% share of the pie, Ruiz said. The group is even open to any organization or company joining the offer they will put forward,” he said

"... The representative said that the actors involved have the 'muscle' to be able to operate the Gessa establishments, but were emphatic that many of them could be contracted out or even disappear if the purchase by Walmartis approved. "