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local Tuesday 14 February 2023

Agreement signed with Colombia’s Grupo Exito

Super Do It Center will offer more products at competitive prices

ORANJESTAD - Do It Center is ready for a new challenge
that will offer its clients and the Aruban community in
general a variety of products. Exito and Do It Center
Aruba signed an agreement for a strategic alliance!
Laurent Guy Zecri, Corporate Manager bia, Uruguay and Argentina. They em-
Frans Ponson, manager of Do It Center, said that this of Strategic Alliances of Grupo Exito, ex- ploy more than 40,000 workers.
agreement is something very big and certainly some- plained that the company is a Colom-
thing new for Do It Center. Everyone can remember bian enterprise with French financing, Eric Ponson started his commercial histo-
that the company started as General Store, and was and currently they are the biggest retail ry in Aruba many years ago as a worker
a small company. However, the Ponson family contin- group in Colombia, employing about at General Store, a company that ex-
ued investing throughout the years and reached a big 37,000 people. For Aruba, this agreement ists for more than 90 years. At one point
agreement with Do It Center. is important because it will give us access he purchased the business of electronic
to a new market, seeing that Aruba pur- products. In 2010, he opened the first Do
Afterwards they became the first Super Do It Center, see- chases from the United States or Europe. It Center in Camacuri, known as an in-
ing that food products are now available at the store. The production capacity is a lot cheaper ternational brand of a Hardware Store,
and this might provide relief from infla- while in 2017 Super Do It Center was cre-
Now, they have signed with a big group, Exito from tion. ated, the first in the world, combining a
Colombia, which forms part of the Casino group from hardware store and a supermarket. The
France. This agreement will allow Do It Center access to At Exito you can find everything you store, which nowadays employs over 200
different products from around Latin America at a more need, from food, clothes, alcohol, tech- workers, will continue with the same con-
affordable price. Frans Ponson also commented that nology, beauty products and pet sup- cept, only adding the Exito lines of prod-
they will have direct contact with the factory in case plies. Aside from this, you can also find uct in the variety offered to customers.
there is the desire to create a specific product for Aruba. products for your home. The Ponson Family is convinced that this
This means that Super Do It Center has reached a big- way they can offer more and better
ger position offering more options and possibilities for Exito was founded in 1949 and today it products at a more competitive price.q
the people of Aruba. manages 2606 stores all around Colom-

Aruba’s Tourism Association introducing AHATA Impact Award

ORANJESTAD – President
and CEO of AHATA, Tisa La-
Sorte proudly announced
to members of the Aruba
Hotel and Industry Asso-
ciation that in 2023, they
are introducing the AHATA
Impact Award. The goal of
this award program is to
give recognition to the ef-
forts of responsible compa-
nies, members of AHATA,
that are investing in and
improving our community.

There will be awards sepa- AHATA collaborated with ners. Advance Human Resourc- will be chosen.
rated in four key sustain- five representatives of well- The panel of judges will be: es Services;
ability pillars: respected organizations in Daniel Tecklenborg, Direc- Rosabelle Illes, PHD, psy- With this new award pro-
Charity (financial dona- Aruba to develop the re- tor of CEDE Aruba; chologist and assistant pro- gram, AHATA is provid-
tions or volunteering); quirements for the awards Franciele Laclé; Sustain- fessor at the University of ing support to sustainable
Cultural promotion; and the criteria for evalua- able Development Consul- Aruba. enterprises and hopes to
Protection of our environ- tion. The same five people tant; inspire more businesses to
ment; will serve as a judge team Ray-Ann Hernandez, Direc- During a special event in invest in the sustainability
Contribution to a high qual- to evaluate the applica- tor of UNOCA; June the four winners of the pillars which ensure a good
ity of life for employees. tions and choose four win- Jan Noordzij, manager of AHATA Impact Award 2023 future for our island. q