Grupo Poma

Grupo Poma is a family-owned business conglomerate headquartered in San Salvador, El Salvador. The group is associated with a broad portfolio spanning automotive distribution, property development and management, hospitality, industrial manufacturing, automotive finance, telecommunications investments, and nonprofit initiatives. It is regarded as one of the larger companies in Central America and operates across nine countries in the Americas. The group traces its origins to 1915, when Spanish entrepreneur Bartolomé Poma established an automotive transport company in El Salvador. Its early development was closely tied to vehicle representation and distribution. By 1918, the company had secured representation for Hudson and Essex vehicles, giving it a foothold in the emerging automotive market. After a major fire damaged its operations, the business rebuilt a garage in 1920. It subsequently endured the economic disruption of the Great Depression and the supply constraints of the Second World War. In 1943, the lack of imported vehicles forced a temporary closure, but the business later resumed operations and continued expanding. Over the decades, Grupo Poma evolved from an automotive enterprise into a diversified group. Its expansion included real estate development, shopping centers, office properties, hotels, industrial production, and financial services. This diversification enabled the organization to combine businesses connected to consumer spending, property ownership, vehicle distribution, and regional infrastructure. Its financial capabilities also developed through Autofácil, a division specializing in automotive credit in markets where conventional banking penetration is relatively limited. The group’s principal operating divisions include Excel Automotriz, Grupo Roble, Real Hotels & Resorts, Grupo Solaire, Autofácil, and the Multiplaza shopping-center business. Excel Automotriz is described as the largest automotive distributor in Central America and represents international vehicle marques including Toyota, BMW, Mitsubishi, and Chevrolet. Grupo Roble develops and manages shopping centers and office properties. Real Hotels & Resorts operates hotels associated with brands such as InterContinental, Marriott, and Choice Hotels. Grupo Solaire manufactures architectural aluminum and glass products, while Autofácil provides vehicle financing. Multiplaza operates upscale shopping malls in El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Grupo Poma also has a social and educational dimension. Its philanthropic and nonprofit activity includes support for Fundación Poma, the Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios, and Fundación Renacer, which assists young people leaving the foster-care system as they transition toward professional and independent life. These institutions complement the group’s commercial activities by focusing on education, social mobility, and youth development. The conglomerate remains family led. Fernando Poma assumed the presidency in 2025, becoming the current leader identified in the available reference material. Because the group is privately held and its businesses operate through multiple divisions and affiliates, consolidated public information about revenue, ownership percentages, and individual subsidiary performance is limited.

Grupo Poma began in 1915, when Bartolomé Poma, a Spanish entrepreneur who had arrived in El Salvador, established an automotive transport company. The business entered vehicle representation soon afterward. In 1918, it obtained representation for Hudson and Essex automobiles, linking the young company to international automotive manufacturing and to the growth of motor transport in Central America. A major fire affected the company during its early years. Rather than ending operations, the business rebuilt and opened a new garage in 1920. This recovery became an early example of the group’s ability to preserve its operating base through disruption. The company later faced broader economic and supply challenges. It survived the Great Depression, while the Second World War created a more direct operational problem: imported vehicles became unavailable, and in 1943 the company temporarily closed because it could not obtain sufficient inventory. After the wartime period, the enterprise resumed and gradually broadened its business interests. Its development moved beyond vehicle sales into real estate, hotels, and other activities. Over time, the group created or assembled businesses covering commercial property, hospitality, manufacturing, and financial services. This diversification reduced its dependence on automotive distribution and gave it exposure to several parts of the regional economy. The automotive business became organized around Excel Automotriz, which represents brands including Toyota, BMW, Mitsubishi, and Chevrolet and is described as the largest automotive distributor in Central America. The group also developed Grupo Roble as a real estate arm focused on shopping centers and office spaces. Multiplaza became a prominent upscale shopping-center platform, with operations in El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Hospitality activities were organized through Real Hotels & Resorts, whose portfolio includes operations connected with InterContinental, Marriott, and Choice Hotels. Grupo Solaire added industrial capabilities through the manufacture of architectural aluminum and glass. Autofácil provided another extension of the automotive business by offering vehicle loans, particularly in regional markets where access to conventional banking is comparatively limited. The group has also maintained investments in telecommunications and supported nonprofit and educational institutions. In its current form, Grupo Poma is a family-owned conglomerate operating in nine countries across the Americas. Its activities are divided among six principal business areas: Excel Automotriz, Grupo Roble, Real Hotels & Resorts, Grupo Solaire, Autofácil, and Multiplaza. Alongside its commercial divisions, the group supports Fundación Poma, the Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios, and Fundación Renacer. These initiatives address education, social development, and the transition of young people from foster care into working and professional life. Fernando Poma assumed the presidency in 2025. Publicly available reference material identifies him as the group’s current leader, while detailed information about the group’s consolidated financial results, subsidiary ownership structures, and full executive roster is not available in the supplied sources.

• 2025

  Fernando Poma becomes president

  [1]Grupo Pomaen.wikipedia.org

  Fernando Poma assumed the presidency of Grupo Poma.

• 1943

  Temporary wartime closure

  [1]Grupo Pomaen.wikipedia.org

  The company temporarily closed because wartime conditions prevented the import of vehicles.

• 1920

  Garage rebuilt after fire

  [1]Grupo Pomaen.wikipedia.org

  Following a major fire in its early history, the business rebuilt a garage and resumed its operations.

• 1918

  Hudson and Essex representation obtained

  [1]Grupo Pomaen.wikipedia.org

  The company secured representation for Hudson and Essex vehicles, expanding its role in automotive distribution.

• 1915

  Company founded

  [1]Grupo Pomaen.wikipedia.org

  Bartolomé Poma established an automotive transport company in El Salvador, creating the foundation of the future conglomerate.

A diversified, family-owned Central American business group combining consumer-facing operations, property assets, automotive distribution and finance, hospitality, industrial manufacturing, and social investment.

• Automotive distribution

  Excel Automotriz

  Grupo Poma’s automotive distribution division and one of its core operating businesses. Excel Automotriz distributes vehicles from international brands including Toyota, BMW, Mitsubishi, and Chevrolet. It serves multiple Central American markets and is described in the reference material as the largest automotive distributor in the region. Its activities connect vehicle sales with after-sales support and the group’s automotive-finance capabilities.

• Real estate development

  Grupo Roble

  The real estate division focused on developing and managing shopping centers, office properties, and related commercial spaces. Grupo Roble represents the group’s long-term property platform, creating and operating physical environments for retail, business, and other commercial uses across its regional markets.

• Shopping centers

  Multiplaza

  A chain of upscale shopping malls associated with Grupo Poma’s property and consumer-facing businesses. Multiplaza has operations in El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia. The brand provides retail, dining, entertainment, and commercial real estate functions within high-end mall developments.

• Hospitality

  Real Hotels & Resorts

  The group’s hotel platform, operating properties and hotel businesses associated with international chains including InterContinental, Marriott, and Choice Hotels. The division extends Grupo Poma’s presence into lodging, tourism, business travel, and hospitality-related property operations.

• Industrial manufacturing

  Grupo Solaire

  An industrial division specializing in architectural aluminum and glass. Its products serve construction and building-design applications, giving Grupo Poma manufacturing exposure alongside its property-development activities.

• Automotive finance

  Autofácil

  A financial-services division specializing in automotive loans. Autofácil supports vehicle purchases in markets where banking access is comparatively limited, complementing Excel Automotriz’s distribution activities and allowing the group to participate in both vehicle sales and purchase financing.

1. 1Grupo Pomaen.wikipedia.org