A credit card operation on Ecuador. Websites Ecuador Uruguay Locations Colombia The first store opened in Bogotá on October 14, 1940, on Carrera Séptima. Their business model was new to Colombia. Tía had supermarkets in Bogotá, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Barranquilla, Cúcuta, Sogamoso, Ibagué, Facatativá, Palmira, and Tunja. Tía Colombia decided to close its doors on November 23, 2017 after 77 years of trading, because of its continual losses. Argentina The first store opened Buenos Aires in 1946. An innovative business concept was to put round island shelves in each department. In 1999, Exxel, a buyout fund backed by American investors, and Promodes, France's then second-largest retail chain, bought Tía's Argentine division and its 61 stores for $630 million. Carrefour (after acquiring Promodes) spent another $600 million over three years to add stores. Two of the founders' descendants, brothers Carlos and Francisco de Narváez, wanted to reopen Tía in Argentina. In 2009 they bought back the Argentine brand from Carrefour and promised to re-establish the supermarket chain's Argentine division, starting in Buenos Aires. Uruguay On June 13, 1956, Tía's subsidiary Ta-Ta opened the first department store in Uruguay at the corner of 18 de Julio Avenue and Carlos Roxlo, kicking off modernization of the retail and supermarket industry in Uruguay. In 2012 Ta-Ta bought the Uruguayan supermarket and electronic department store chain Multi Ahorro. Ta-Ta employs more than 6000 employees, and has hypermarkets located in all 19 of the country's departments. As of March 2012, Ta-Ta was the biggest retailer in Uruguay with over 30% market share. Ecuador The first store in Ecuador opened in the downtown of Guayaquil on November 29, 1960. In 2017, Tía was the biggest retailer, and eleventh in the ranking of the best companies in Ecuador. References External links Supermarkets of Colombia Companies of Ecuador Supermarkets of Uruguay Retail companies established in 1940 1940 establishments in Colombia 2017 disestablishments in Colombia