Bogota, August 2023. The Bogota Chamber of Commerce (CCB), Bavaria and Fenalco launched an initiative aimed at supporting and empowering 5,000 storekeepers and shopkeepers in the City and Region where the CCB has jurisdiction. This joint initiative will be developed between August and December of this year, and aims to strengthen the traditional channel of neighborhood stores and micro-businesses, contributing to business growth and economic reactivation in the Region.

The intervention will focus on providing tools for business strengthening, leadership, digital appropriation and productive capacity with both virtual and face-to-face training, covering essential topics for business improvement and management, such as formalization, use of digital tools, accounting, pricing strategies and competitiveness, customer service, business planning, associativity and sustainability, among others.

This program is aimed at entrepreneurs, small businesses and the traditional channel, with the purpose of providing them with the necessary tools to prosper in a constantly evolving commercial environment. According to data from Fenalco, Colombia has around 500,000 neighborhood stores, which represent 40% of the country's businesses and employ around 575,000 people. These establishments play a fundamental role in mass consumption, since at least 93% of Colombian households made purchases in neighborhood stores in the last year. The benefits of this cooperation program will include consulting and workshops focused on business-relevant areas such as marketing, sales, and business management. The training will also address important topics such as financial empowerment, formalization, associativity, and sustainability.

Ricardo Nates, president of the CCB, noted: "97% of the companies in Bogota and the region are micro and small, including stores. We are especially committed to support them given their contribution to productive activity and the jobs they generate for thousands of families."

In the case of Bavaria, this initiative is part of its Emprendedores Bavaria program, in which it has the goal of benefiting 15,000 micro-businesses by 2023.

In this regard, Sergio Rincón, president of Bavaria, stated: "neighborhood stores and micro-businesses are the engines of our country's economy and that is why today we have a new reason to offer: we will provide financial education, innovation techniques and models, digital transformation, as well as direct credits for products and free investment to thousands of them, to contribute to their sustained growth and to the improvement of the quality of life of their families and communities".

This strategic alliance arises from two initiatives: "He who has a store, let him grow it" of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, which impacted more than 1,000 shopkeepers last year, and Bavaria's "Entrepreneurs", which aims to impact 15,000 shopkeepers this year and the 300,000 micro-businesses associated with the company by 2030. The CCB is a key ally to benefit 5,000 shopkeepers in Bogota and the surrounding region.