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A reported blog on happenings around Latin America.

Stephanie GarlowNovember 1, 2011 18:44

McDonald’s failure in Bolivia

The country closed its stores and left Bolivia in 2002. Why couldn't it succeed there?
What do you think?

It's the country that turned its back on McDonald's.

The fast food giant added the traditional llajwa sauce to its classic patties, but still Bolivians weren't conviced.

So after five years, McDonald's closed its eight branches and left the country in 2002.

Now a new documentary, "¿Por qué quebró McDonald's en Bolivia?", explores why McDonald's failed. Filmmaker Fernando Martinez focuses on social and cultural aspects to explain the company's lack of success. "Culture beat a transnational, globalized world," he said.

Watch the trailer above.

And for comparison's sake, here are numbers from the film on McDonald's reach throughout South America, courtesy of the BBC.

  • Argentina: 192
  • Brazil: 480
  • Chile: 55
  • Colombia: 97
  • Ecuador: 19
  • Paraguay: 7
  • Peru: 20
  • Uruguay: 19
  • Venezuela: 180

Follow Stephanie on Twitter: @stephaniegarlow

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/que-pasa/mcdonald’s-failure-bolivia-fail

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