As the fastest growing minority group in the US, the Hispanic market is capturing the attention of marketers, advertisers and companies representing all sectors of the business community. Hispanic buying power is expected to explode to $926.1 billion by 2007, making it larger than Canada’s gross domestic product and representing 9.4% of America’s total buying power.

To help businesses understand the “Hispanic” market, Chain Store Guide presents the “Top 50 Hispanic Markets Report: Your Retail & Foodservice Guide to Hispanic Marketing.” This report establishes the link between the market demographics of the Top 50 Hispanic Markets and retailers serving those markets.

Findings of the report include:

— Average per capita income for Hispanics living in the profiled markets
is $11,949.

— Washington-Baltimore, with the majority of its Hispanic population
describing itself as Central American, has the highest per capita
income for Hispanics at $16,673. With a Cuban population at almost
45% of its total Hispanic population, Miami-Fort Lauderdale Hispanics
represents the second highest per capita income at $16,483.

— Among retailers, Wal-Mart and Walgreens are the leaders in serving the Hispanic community, having stores in 48 and 46 of the 50 markets,
respectively. Wal-Mart’s average market share is 37.3% among discount
stores in those markets while Walgreens’ average is 40.3% on the drug
side.

— Grocery market share is not quite so cut and dried. The H.E.B.
Grocery Company is number one in the eight markets in which it appears
with 55% average market share. Publix leads in the five profiled
markets in which it has stores with 44% average market share. Safeway
and Kroger serve approximately 20 markets each with an average market
share of 21.4% and 18.8%, respectively. Safeway takes the top spot
in eight markets, while Kroger leads in six. Albertsons never leads
in market share, but serves 32 of the profiled markets.

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