DistantNews
Support us
🇭🇳 Honduras /Sports

World Cup fever lifts Mexico City's small businesses

From Proceso Digital · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The FIFA World Cup has boosted sales for small businesses in Mexico City, including neighborhood stores and street vendors.
  • These informal businesses expect to see 10-15% sales increases, with some reporting tripled sales due to fans watching games.
  • The economic impact is significant, with an estimated 10 billion pesos flowing directly to small vendors, particularly those selling World Cup-themed merchandise.

Mexico City's small businesses are experiencing an unexpected economic boost from the FIFA World Cup, with sales surging beyond typical holidays like Christmas. Neighborhood shops, street vendors, and snack stalls are seeing significant increases, with some reporting sales tripling.

The foreign visitors, mainly Americans and Japanese, have increased. Compared to normal days when there's nothing, sales have tripled thanks to the matches.

— LeonardoA worker at a shop selling jerseys and other products near the Zócalo in Mexico City describes the impact of World Cup fans on his business.

The informal economy, a major part of Mexico's economic landscape, is particularly benefiting. The Alianza Nacional de Pequeños Comerciantes (ANPEC) noted a boom in souvenir sales, especially for unofficial national team jerseys, which offer profit margins between 80% and 90%.

This surge highlights the vital role of informal commerce, which employs around 25 million Mexicans and contributes 25% to the national GDP. However, some established businesses in the historic center faced a slow start due to protests and street closures, and criticized the city's prior removal of informal vendors.

Those selling souvenirs are doing very well.

— Cuauhtémoc RiveraDirector of the National Alliance of Small Merchants (ANPEC) explains the surge in sales for street vendors selling World Cup-related items.

Merchants hope for continued success, with one vendor stating, "We hope Mexico wins again so sales can go up a little more." The overall economic impact is projected to exceed 60 billion pesos, with a substantial portion directly benefiting these smaller enterprises.

We hope Mexico wins again so sales can go up a little more.

— DanielA vendor selling various products in Mexico City expresses his hope for continued sales increases during the World Cup.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Proceso Digital in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog