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Un tendero de espaldas acomoda productos en los estantes de su pequeña tienda al amanecer
Un pequeño comercio reabre y reorganiza su inventario tras el terremoto. · Imagen generada por EPM

Bold gathers more than 400 quake-hit businesses in a digital showcase

Almost three months after the earthquake in Colombia, Bold launched Contigo Colombia, a digital showcase with more than 400 affected businesses to facilitate…

--- The context --- Almost three months after the earthquake that shook several regions of Colombia, hundreds of businesses are still struggling to recover their sales and repair their premises. Colombian fintech Bold introduced a tool to bring customers closer to those businesses. --- The facts --- Bold launched Contigo Colombia, a digital showcase that brings together more than 400 businesses affected by the earthquake. It makes it easier for consumers to buy their products and services and to contact the entrepreneurs directly, to contribute to the economic reactivation of the hardest-hit areas. It is available on the company's website. According to Bold's figures, among the more than 10,000 businesses linked to the company, significant drops in sales were identified. Some 79% of those affected are microenterprises in retail trade, gastronomy, services, beauty and tourism. Pereira recorded the highest share, with 44%, followed by Armenia with 28% and Cali with 26%. --- The positions --- The initiative is part of the Creer en Ti, es volver a empezar campaign, with psychological support to merchants through Biomente. Sergio Vergara, Bold's CMO and co-founder, said that many businesses are working with premises still to be repaired or sales far from what they were, and that the showcase seeks Colombians in different cities to help recover sales and save businesses. --- What remains unknown --- The source does not detail results from the showcase since its launch, nor timelines or sales targets. It also does not specify how reactivation reaching the most damaged establishments will be measured. --- Unanswered questions --- How many of the more than 400 businesses will manage to recover their sales in the coming months? What support will those that also need to repair their premises receive? How will progress be measured in Pereira, Armenia and Cali? --- EPM analysis --- The weight of microenterprises explains the focus. When 79% of those hit are in that segment, recovery depends on everyday consumption returning and on customers contacting each entrepreneur directly, without intermediaries. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the showcase is right to focus on microenterprises and on direct contact between consumers and entrepreneurs, because recovery after the earthquake is not only about repairing premises, but also about bringing sales back in a sustained way. Its real reach will depend on visibility turning into steady purchases and on the announced support effectively reaching the hardest-hit businesses in Pereira, Armenia and Cali over the coming months ahead.
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