Omni Group, a company owned by Costa Rican businessman Moisés Chaves who invested in the Mexican bank Bankaool, acquired the digital supermarket Jüsto and the strategic plan for this relaunch phase does not contemplate the reinstatement of its founder in the general management. The decision marks a new chapter for the startup that closed operations on December 15 after six years in the quick commerce sector.
Ricardo Weder co-founded the startup with Alejandro Sisniega in 2019 and led the company as CEO until its final closure. The acquisition includes a capital injection of US$100 million during the first year to financially and administratively restructure a company that had raised more than US$300 million from funds such as General Atlantic, Bimbo Ventures, Mountain Nazca, Foundation Capital, Femsa Ventures and 500 Startups.
Omni Group announced that it will reactivate more than 500 Jüsto employees, mainly in operational functions. However, it will implement significant changes at the management level considering that there were possibly management problems that contributed to the difficulties that led to the digital supermarket.
Why Omni dispenses with the founding team
The new management will implement a financial and administrative restructuring designed to ensure Jüsto’s long-term viability. The workers who will remain with the company are mostly from operational areas, while the management level will potentially undergo a complete renovation.
It is known that there were aspects that complicated the operation of the startup, especially decisions about accelerated international expansion and strategic alliances that did not resolve structural problems of the business. This evaluation likely motivated the decision to implement a new management team instead of maintaining the previous structure.
The expectation is to resume the supermarket’s operations as soon as possible, although they are currently adjusting operational details and closing negotiations with the startup’s investors to define whether to continue or abandon the project under the new ownership structure.
The fall of a US$300 million model
Jüsto announced the cessation of operations on December 15, just 14 months after raising US$70 million in its last round of financing. The startup argued financial, operational and strategic factors that made business continuity impossible, confirming the ecosystem’s suspicions about the viability of its model.
The digital supermarket faced a model with negative unit economics that it was unable to adjust in time. The combination of high operating costs, extremely low margins, and competition against giants like Walmart, Amazon, and Chedraui created an environment almost impossible to sustain, even with more than $300 million in capital raised.
In the months before the closure, Jüsto had abandoned markets such as Brazil and Peru. In November 2024 it announced its departure from Peru, arguing strategic restructuring, and in December it left Brazil, a market it had entered in 2021 by purchasing the local player Freshmart during the height of the pandemic.
The strategic decisions that accelerated the collapse
Accelerated international expansion was one of the factors that put the most pressure on the company’s finances. Entering Brazil without having consolidated profitability in Mexico increased operational complexity and accelerated the burning of capital, demonstrating that the model required a scale and logistical efficiency that few companies can achieve before exhausting their resources.
While closing operations in other markets, in Mexico Jüsto announced a strategic collaboration with Amazon in November 2024. By February 2025, the alliance managed to expand to key regions such as the State of Mexico and the metropolitan areas of Monterrey and Querétaro.
Although the alliance with Amazon seemed like an opportunity to increase volume and reduce customer acquisition costs, it came too late and did not solve the structural problems of the business. Amazon Now ended up absorbing demand without actually integrating Jüsto, showing that the collaboration did not represent the lifeline the startup desperately needed.
What the rescue means for the entrepreneurial ecosystem
The acquisition by Grupo Omni represents a rare case in the Latin American ecosystem: the rescue of a high-profile startup after its collapse. While most companies that close disappear completely, Jüsto gets a second chance under new management and with fresh capital.
Grupo Omni bought the shares of Jüsto USA, the holding company of the digital supermarket, committing to inject US$100 million during the first year. This investment will finance the operational restructuring necessary to relaunch the service with more solid foundations, presumably correcting some strategic errors.
Lessons for Latin American quick commerce
The closure of Jüsto joins that of other competitors in the quick commerce sector in Mexico. Jokr, one of its main rivals, announced its departure from the country in 2022, confirming that the model faces structural difficulties in the region.
The case leaves important lessons for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. In an environment where investors demand efficiency and profitability, digital retail startups will have to rethink their strategies if they want to survive. International expansion must be gradual and sustained, and venture capital no longer tolerates models with indefinite structural losses.
Other media have tried to communicate with Ricardo Weder about his departure and future plans, but have not received a response, so more details are expected to be known in the coming days. The Jüsto rescue demonstrates that even startups with significant backing can require drastic leadership changes to get a second chance at success.
