76 • July | August 2026 • abasto.com 4TH LATIN CONSUMER SUMMIT THE NEW LATIN COXNSUMER REDEFINES REGIONAL RETAIL FROM THE EXHIBITION HALLWAYS 1. Athina Kanioura of PepsiCo and Dan Calhoun, CEO of Cuervito Morado. 2. Isaac Mizrahi, CEO of Alma. 3. Dan Calhoun and Luis Antonio Monckeberg, CEO of Grupo Ohla. 4. Panel discussion: “Leading the New Era of Grow- th in Latin America.” • TRADE SHOWS • Continues on page 78 More than 600 executives gathered in Miami to discuss the future of the Hispanic market BY ABASTO M iami was the epicenter of Latin American retail. Over two inten- se days at Florida International University, leaders of global brands redefi- ned the rules of the game. The 4th Latin Consumer Summit brought together more than 600 executives. They traveled from the United States and Latin America with one certainty: the Hispanic consumer is changing everything. The Star of the Show: The Latin Consumer The data is compelling. The Hispanic market is growing and establishing itself as an econo- mic and cultural engine in North America. The panel “Meet the New Latin Consu- mer” explored this transformation. Álvaro Cárdenas of Diageo and Felipe González, CEO of Nestlé Colombia, analyzed evol- ving purchasing habits. Likewise, Gretel Lanner of Edgewell highli- ghted the importance of hyper-personaliza- tion. Brands that fail to adapt quickly will lose relevance with this demanding consumer. AI, Data, and the Point of Sale Technology is no longer optional. Jason Gol- dberg of Publicis Groupe put it bluntly: arti- ficial intelligence and digital platforms are rewriting the relationship between brands and shoppers. For his part, Andy Murray, founder of Saatchi X, reinforced that message. “Com- panies must build people-centered strate- gies,” he told the audience. Athina Kanioura of PepsiCo added a strate- gic perspective. The region is growing rapidly and demands profound organizational trans- formations to respond to this dynamism. 1 4 2 3