FEMSA(US:FMX)2025-10-28 15:30Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue growth for the third quarter of 2025 was 9.1%, driven by solid trends outside Mexico and the consolidation of OXXO USA [29] - Operating income increased by 4.3% year over year, reflecting inflationary effects on costs and expenses, partially offset by efficiency efforts [29] - Net consolidated income decreased by 36.8% to 5.8 billion pesos, primarily due to a non-cash foreign exchange loss of 1.3 billion pesos [29][30] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Proximity Americas reported same-store sales growth of 1.7%, with average ticket rising 4.9% and average traffic declining 3.1% [19][33] - Total revenues for Proximity Americas grew 9.2%, driven by the expansion of the store network by 1,370 stores year on year [34] - OXXO Mexico continues to show strong performance with a decade of continuous store growth and world-class returns on capital [9] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Europe, Valora's total revenues increased by 10.1% in pesos, driven by higher Swiss retail sales [37] - Coca-Cola FEMSA experienced a slight decline in total volume, primarily due to a challenging environment in Mexico, while South America showed resilient performance with volume growth [40] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on maximizing long-term value creation through its FEMSA Forward strategy, which includes divesting nearly $11 billion of assets and a capital allocation framework targeting $7.8 billion in capital distribution by 2027 [6][7] - There is a strong emphasis on expanding the OXXO platform in Brazil, Colombia, and the U.S., with significant growth opportunities identified [25][57] - The company aims to enhance its value proposition in food and coffee categories, with ongoing experimentation to launch new offerings [23] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the strength of business units despite a sluggish year in Mexico, highlighting improvements in competitive positions in key categories [8][20] - The company anticipates a better operating environment in Mexico, aided by the FIFA World Cup and improvements in consumption trends [41] - Management acknowledged challenges from a recent tax increase in Mexico but believes adjustments can be made to maintain return on investment [11] Other Important Information - The company distributed a total of 11.8 billion pesos in dividends during the quarter, with no share buybacks executed [40] - The effective tax rate for the quarter was 29.3%, showing improvement from earlier in the year [30] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on same-store sales performance and traffic dynamics at OXXO - Management noted a sequential improvement in traffic and market share gains in key categories, with optimism for the fourth quarter [44][46] Question: Details on gross margin performance at OXXO Mexico - Management indicated that gross margin improvements were driven by service mix and pricing strategies, with expectations for continued gains [51][54] Question: Update on health business performance in Mexico and Chile - Management reported strong growth in Chile despite a competitive environment, while acknowledging challenges in Mexico that require operational fixes [61][63] Question: Corporate restructuring and SG&A reduction plans - Management outlined plans for fit-for-purpose initiatives to streamline corporate overhead and achieve significant cost savings [68][70] Question: Increase in interest expense and its drivers - Management explained that the increase in interest expense was primarily due to lease accounting under IFRS and the consolidation of U.S. operations [85]