...Second Edition: Fitch Ratings' second annual Latin American Retail Handbook is a comprehensive reference for investors in Latin American retail. In this report, Fitch focuses on the main credit factors affecting ratings in the Latam retail sector, a sector snapshot that includes market and macroeconomic trends and statistics related to retail activity in the region. Financial Profiles to Rem ain Stable: Over the past five years, most credit profiles have strengthened across the region, due to a combination of conservative financial strategies and effective responses to changing consumer conditions and economic slow dow ns. Fitch expects single-digit revenue grow th and stable profitability margins during 2018 and 2019. Deleveraging Still Slow : Fitch expects to see progress on retailers' deleveraging strategies in 2019 reflecting on the economic recovery in some of the biggest countries of the region and materialization of operating improvements executed during the last tw o years. EBITDA...
