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Within the national territory it is estimated that there are just over 2 million 227 thousand retail commercial establishments.
Oxxo stores and Walmart Group are two of the 102 brands that dominate the current retail market.
The lack of registration of intellectual property rights is one of the main limitations of SMEs.
In Mexico, as in many parts of the world, entrepreneurs, small brands and convenience stores face large firms, which puts them in a difficult situation; however, it is thanks to the ingenuity and brand coexistence that small businesses can compete in today’s marketplace.
Popular and convivial stores have been placed as part of the popular culture of Mexicans, so much so that, according to what is indicated by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), within the national territory there are just over 2 million 227 thousand 58 establishments, considered within the commerce sector, of which at least 998 thousand 120 businesses (representing 44.81 percent of this sector) belong to the subsector of retail commerce of groceries, food, beverages, ice and tobacco.
On the other hand, there are at least 102 chains that dominate the national market, since only the firm Oxxo It has more than 17 thousand 300 self-service storeswhile signatures like 7-Eleven registered more than 1,800 stores and Walmart Group It has at least 2,756 branches throughout Mexico.
“Osso and Gualmar”; Mexican humor drives brand coexistence
It can be conceived to the expression “brand coexistence” as a situation in which two different companies share the same or similar brand, with the intention of marketing a product or service, without generating commercial alliances or necessarily interfering within their businesses, an aspect that can be made visible within creativity of some merchants, who substitute some letters and typographies to allude to a business, such is the case of “Gualmar”, who alludes to a Walmart or from “Osso” that seeks to “look like an Oxxo”.
And Gualmar came here to the town… pic.twitter.com/wJIl5ctasW
— Uncle Zayas ® (@ElTioZayas) November 8, 2022
As comical as the inventiveness of merchants in changing names can be, lack of knowledge about trademark and patent registrations is one of the main limitations faced by entrepreneurs, since this registration is inherent to intellectual property rights, which are fundamental aspects within the construction of a company, since not protecting oneself in a legal and adequate manner can cause plagiarism and damage to brands, as demonstrated by a small businessman, who won a lawsuit against DC Comics for the use Of the name “Superman”.
Come on Entrepreneurs #FifthNormal#SuperPan pic.twitter.com/os4OKOEqCJ
– QuintaNormalEmprende(Chile) (@QtaN_Emprende) September 10, 2022
Currently, the Government of Mexico intends to inspire businesses and entrepreneurs to register their ventures within intellectual property rights, as this provides benefits and legal security, aspects necessary for the development of SMEs, Well, this is an issue that often goes unnoticed, as pointed out by Guillermo Solórzano, Founding Partner of Solórzano Linaldi (SL), a legal solutions firm.
“Currently, globalization and the Internet demand necessary processes to protect their brands, inventions, but, above all, their industrial secrets. All of them are essential to maintain prosperous economic development for both large companies and MSMEs”.
For SMEs, as for those who seek to undertake, protecting themselves legally is necessary, since not doing so can lead to various consequences in the future.
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