Hispanic Americans Choose Wal-Mart As Store That Does Best Job Of Catering To The Hispanic/Latino Consumer According To GfK Omnibus Services Study

- Price And Convenience of National Discount Chains Trumps Specialized Products And
Spanish-Friendly Nature Of Local Stores -

NEW YORK – November 15, 2006 – GfK Omnibus Services, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, today announced results from its 2006 Hispanic OmniTel® Retail Study revealing where Hispanic Americans are shopping and why.  Additionally, when asked to name which major store or retailer they felt does the best job of catering to the Hispanic or Latino consumer, Wal-Mart was far and away the top selection at 35%. Home Depot was a distant second at 7% and Target was third at 5%. 

Key Findings From The 2006 Hispanic OmniTel Retail Survey
The new study was conducted in October 2006 among 502 Hispanic Americans aged 18 and older nationwide via telephone.  Respondents were given the choice of completing the survey in English or Spanish.

Asked which factors are most important when deciding where to shop, Hispanic Americans cited the same priorities that other Americans have when choosing retailers--convenience, low prices, and a wide range of merchandise.  However, a critical second-tier of priorities that is unique to the Hispanic market is cited by about half of Hispanics as being "very important", including store employees speaking Spanish, products relevant to Hispanic consumers and Spanish language signage.  Following is a breakdown of factors considered very important in choosing a shopping destination:

• Low prices: 75%
• Convenient location: 69%
• Wide range of merchandise: 66%
• Employees who speak Spanish: 51%
• Wide range of payment options: 49%
• Products relevant to Hispanic consumers: 48%
• Spanish signage: 47%
• Product packaging and labels in Spanish: 43%
• Owner is a member of the local community: 33%

Based on priorities of Hispanic shoppers it is no surprise that national discount chains such as Wal-Mart and Target are frequented even more often than local stores that specialize in serving Latino and Hispanic customers.  Asked about their retail shopping habits, following is a breakdown of the types of stores respondents say they shop in often:

• National discount chain stores such as Wal-Mart or Target: 56%
• Local stores that specialize in serving Hispanic and Latino customers: 37%
• National home improvement stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot: 32%
• National mid-priced department stores such as Kohl's, Sears or JCPenney: 23%
• Electronics, entertainment or appliance stores such as Circuit City or Best Buy: 15%
• Specialty clothing stores such as the Gap or Old Navy: 12%
• National upscale department stores such as Macy's, Nordstrom or Lord & Taylor: 10%
• Sporting good stores such as the Sports Authority: 8%

"The survey shows that mainstream national retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target are highly attractive to Hispanics, but that the key to differentiation stems from meeting and delivering the unique needs of Hispanic consumers," explains Bruce Barr, Vice President, GfK Omnibus Services.  "To stand out with Hispanics, retailers need to consider offering such things as Spanish-speaking sales clerks, Hispanic-oriented merchandise, and Spanish language signage.  Wal-Mart has clearly demonstrated they have taken the next step in their marketing efforts to ensure they have catered to the Hispanic consumer effectively."

About Hispanic OmniTel®
GfK's Hispanic OmniTel is a monthly survey of the Hispanic American market that represents all Hispanic American adults nationwide.  Conducted in English and Spanish, Hispanic OmniTel is a reliable and cost-effective national telephone omnibus survey that helps marketers understand the lifestyles, buying behavior and unique perspectives of Hispanic Americans.  Our innovative sampling design yields higher quality, more representative samples than other methods to ensure results are accurate and reliable--and available at an affordable price! And our monthly schedule means marketers no longer need to wait several weeks to get their questions asked and answered. The deadline for getting a question--or questions--in on the next wave of Hispanic OmniTel is November 29. Results will be available by December 20. For more information contact Bruce Barr at (609) 683-6100.

About GfK Custom Research North America
Headquartered in New York, GfK Custom Research North America is a company of the GfK Group.  GfK Omnibus Services resides in the GfK Princeton, NJ offices. With home offices in Nuremberg, Germany, the GfK Group is the fourth largest market research organizations in the world.  Its activities cover five business divisions: Custom Research, Retail and Technology, Consumer Tracking, Media and Healthcare.  In addition to 13 subsidiaries in Germany, the GfK Group has more than 130 subsidiaries and affiliates in over 70 countries.

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