February 19, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST

FEMSA Delivers Double-Digit Growth in 4Q07

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Monterrey, Mexico, February 19, 2008 — Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. ("FEMSA") today announced its operational and financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2007.

Fourth Quarter 2007 Highlights:

  • Consolidated total revenues increased 10.0% and income from operations increased 22.0%. All operating units delivered double-digit growth in income from operations.

  • Coca-Cola FEMSA total revenues and income from operations increased 8.6% and 12.6%, respectively. Mexico income from operations increased in real terms for the second quarter in a row, combining with double-digit growth in Brazil to drive these results.

  • FEMSA Cerveza total revenues increased 7.5%. Sales volume grew a robust 6.0% in Mexico, 9.3% in Brazil and 19.3% in exports. Income from operations increased 43.9%. Strong top-line growth, combined with a decline in operating expenses, more than offset raw material pressure.

  • Oxxo continued its pace of double-digit growth and margin expansion, driven by 326 net new stores in 4Q07 and 5% increase in same-store sales. Operating margin expanded by 130 basis points reaching 8.2%.

2007 Full Year Highlights:

  • Consolidated total revenues increased 8.4%. All operating units contributed to this top-line growth.

  • Consolidated income from operations increased 6.0%, driven by strong results at Coca-Cola FEMSA and Oxxo, which more than offset weakness at FEMSA Cerveza.

  • Consolidated net income increased 21.1% to Ps. 11.936 billion.

  • Coca-Cola FEMSA total revenue and income from operations increased 8.1% and 11.7% respectively, due to strong growth across its operations.

  • FEMSA Cerveza total revenues increased 4.3%. Income from operations decreased 11.7%, reflecting continued pressure on raw materials, lower average price per hectoliter and sustained investment in our brand portfolio.

  • Oxxo income from operations increased 39.1%, resulting in an operating margin expansion of 100 basis points to 5.5%. This is Oxxo's 6th consecutive year of delivering income from operations growth above 20% in real terms, driven by 716 net new stores in the last twelve months.

José Antonio Fernández, Chairman and CEO of FEMSA, commented "Our full-year 2007 results provide a compelling example of the strength of our unique continental integrated platform. While FEMSA Cerveza faced significant headwinds from high raw material costs and intensified competition in Mexico, particularly in the first half of the year, our operations in Brazil continued to grow according to plan and our export volumes again grew in the double digits, driven by continued strong performance in the United States. For its part, Coca-Cola FEMSA delivered a strong set of numbers aided by growing profitability in Mexico and in most of its Central and South American markets. And Oxxo continued to grow at a rapid pace in every aspect of the business, recording its strongest year ever. All told, FEMSA delivered operating income growth of six percent in real terms for the year, a good outcome given the challenging environment. Just as importantly, the fourth quarter evidenced strong momentum at all of our operations, and we enter this new year with optimism that we will be able to successfully navigate what may turn out to be another challenging year, while we continue to build the unique system that is FEMSA".

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