Supermercados Gigante was a large supermarket

Supermarket

A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

 chain in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. The chain expanded north of the border as well, as it also had locations in predominantly working-class Mexican-American communities of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The supermarket chain was owned by parent company Group Gigante, which also operates the restaurant chain Toks, and US retail chains such as RadioShack

RadioShack

RadioShack Corporation   is an American franchise of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of Europe, South America and Africa. As of 2008, RadioShack reported net sales and operating revenues of $4.81 billion. The headquarters of RadioShack is located in Downtown...

 and Office Depot

Office Depot

Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...

 in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

Supermercados Gigante competed with several other chains, such as Soriana

Soriana

Organización Soriana is a Mexican public company and Mexico's largest retailer. Soriana is a grocery and department store retail chain headquartered in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The company is 100% capitalized in Mexico and is publicly traded on the Mexican stock exchange the Bolsa Mexicana...

, Comercial Mexicana

Comercial Mexicana

Comercial Mexicana is a Mexican hypermarket group, which features stores similar to those owned by Carrefour in France or Wal-Mart in the United States...

, Chedraui

Chedraui

Chedraui is a publicly traded Mexican grocery store and department store chain. It is traded on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the symbol CHEDRAUI.-History:...

, Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

 H-E-B

H-E-B

HEB Grocery Company, LP is a privately held San Antonio, Texas-based supermarket chain with more than 315 stores throughout Texas and northern Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an upscale organic and fine foods retailer.H-E-B ranked No...

, Falabella, Cencosud and D&S

Distribución y Servicio

Distribución y Servicio is a Chilean company that operates several businesses, including Líder hypermarkets and Ekono supermarkets. Since 2009 the main controller is Wal-mart and the founder family Ibañez.-External links:***...

. It was not uncommon to see Wal-Mart receipts around the store touting the fact that said items are cheaper at Supermercados Gigante.

Supermercados Gigante in pop culture

The chain appeared on the Ahí Viene Verónica film, and on miscellaneous TV Azteca

TV Azteca

Azteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...

 shows.

Store closures

On February 28, 2006 Gigante closed some stores in Mexico (1 in Torreon, 7 in Monterrey, 1 in Matamoros, 2 in San Luis Potosi and 1 in Puebla).

Sale of Gigante

As of Dec. 6, 2007 Supermercados Gigante was acquired by Organizacion Soriana for US$1.35 billion. The supermarket and hypermarket retail formats of Supermercados Gigante, including its seven US stores, will disappear and the stores will adopt the Soriana

Soriana

Organización Soriana is a Mexican public company and Mexico's largest retailer. Soriana is a grocery and department store retail chain headquartered in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The company is 100% capitalized in Mexico and is publicly traded on the Mexican stock exchange the Bolsa Mexicana...

 Brand. Grupo Gigante will remain in business as a company separate from Soriana

Soriana

Organización Soriana is a Mexican public company and Mexico's largest retailer. Soriana is a grocery and department store retail chain headquartered in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The company is 100% capitalized in Mexico and is publicly traded on the Mexican stock exchange the Bolsa Mexicana...

, operating Mexican Radio Shack

Radio shack

Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...

 and Office Depot

Office Depot

Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...

 locations, as well as the Toks restaurant chain.

External links

• Grupo Gigante - Mexican site
• Gigante USA