Documrento

-------------------------------------------------
Grupo Bimbo
Grupo Bimbo is the largest Mexican food company and the largest bakery in the world[3] with brands in Americas, Europe, and China.
-------------------------------------------------
History
Grupo Bimbo was established in Mexico in 1945 by Lorenzo Servitje, Jose T. Mata, Jaime Sendra, and Jaime Jorba. Today it is one of the mostimportant baking companies in brand and trademark positioning, sales, and production volume around the world. The company is currently #4 among the largest food corporations in the world, just behind Unilever, Kraft Foods and Nestlé[ The company became the world's largest bread manufacturing company in 2010 reporting $8.9 billion in sales, a steep increase from the $4.67 billion in sales in 2004. InMexico and Latin America, the company is the market share leader, selling over 7,000 products under more than 100 different brands.[4]
Since 1980, Grupo Bimbo has been traded in the Mexican Stock Exchange. It comprises six organizations and a corporate department that operates companies in the baking industry and in general, in the food industry. The company also makes the majority of themachinery used in its factories through its industrial development branch, as well as a large part of the plastic packaging they use on their products.
The name "Bimbo" has no specific meaning in Spanish; thus, the name has not caused significant uproar as it would in the United States, where the word "bimbo". The official theory believes that the name Bimbo, coined in 1945 when the company wasrebranded from its previous name, Super Pan S.A., is the mixing of the words "bingo" and "Bambi".[5] In addition, the innocent, childlike name went well with the brand image they wanted to build.
In Mexico as in some Latin American countries, it is common to refer to any bread brand as "pan bimbo" (bimbo bread) instead of the proper "pan de barra" (loaf of bread). The name "Bimbo" has almost become asynonym for bread. The brand is highly trusted for quality and taste.] It has one of the most extensive distribution networks in Latin America, often making it products available even in the most remote places.
In 1964, Grupo Bimbo introduced sliced bread in Spain. In 1978, the Mexican group sold all its shares and the Spanish firm operates independently[6] The Portuguese and Spanish Bimbo wereacquired by Sara Lee in 2001[7] Many still refer to the bread as "pan bimbo"].
The corporate image, a small white teddy bear, was inspired by a Christmas card sent by the grandson of the company's founder to his grandmother during the early 1950s]. The teddy bear in the picture was thought to be ideal as Bimbo's corporate image, and was, literally, stripped of its clothes and given a white apron anda chef's hat. To represent Grupo Bimbo, which also encompasses non-food related companies, a new more traditional and mainstream logo was developed. However, the white teddy bear remains the image the general public most relates to Bimbo as a brand.
-------------------------------------------------
Expansion
On December 10, 2008, it was announced that Grupo Bimbo bought WFI (Weston Foods Inc.)a subsidiary of George Weston Ltd. for $2.38 billion, making Grupo Bimbo the largest bakery company in the USA and the only bakery in the USA with a national footprint. They now own brands such as Arnold, Boboli, Brownberry, Entenmann's, Freihofer's, Stroehmann, and Thomas', plus 22 factories and 4,000 delivery trucks.[8][9]
On 9 November 2010, Sara Lee Corporation said that by selling its NorthAmerican Fresh Bakery unit to Grupo Bimbo, it could grow in other areas. The $959 million deal gives Sara Lee the right to continue using the Sara Lee name on frozen desserts and meat products. Grupo Bimbo will use the Sara Lee name for fresh-baked products around the world except for Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The deal also means Grupo Bimbo gets 41 plants and the regional...