Latin America, dotted with millions of mom-and-pop stores, is a
challenging market that sometimes forces global makers of
groceries and sundries to rethink their distribution strategies.
Lately, the region has also been serving as a classroom. Coca-
Cola has exported distribution techniques it learned in Latin
America, such as using local wholesalers as distributors, all
the way to bigger markets in Asia. In the developing world, mom-
and-pop businesses can be as rudimentary as kiosks on the
street. These tiny enterprises charge more than supermarkets and
convenience stores, but customers like them because they’re
close by, they sell products such as cigarettes in individual
units, and many customers have social or family ties with the
owners. Even with big-box stores spreading everywhere, more than
80% of the developing world’s population still patronize mom-
and-pop shops. Therefore, these far-flung stores constitute a
crucial battleground for global players in fast-moving consumer
goods such as soft drinks, b