Grupo Sanborns

Grupo Sanborns is a large retail, pharmacy and department store chain located in Mexico. Few Mexican companies are as steeped in history as Sanborn Hermanos, owners of Sanborns pharmacy.

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History

The retail company was founded in Mexico City on June 19,1903 by California immigrants Walter and Frank Sanborn, who also opened Mexico's first soda fountain. The original location and its lunch counter, across from the main Mexico City post office (Palacio de Correos) is still in operation.

During the Mexican Revolution, troops of Emiliano Zapata used a Sanborns branch located at where the Libreria Madero is today, as a rendezvous point and gathering place. Extant photos show Zapatista soldiers enjoying their first restaurant meal at Sanborns' lunch counter.[1] Thus the Sanborns slogan Meet me at Sanborns.

In 1919, Walter Sanborn, tired of Mexico's political turmoil, returned to the US and left the management of the company to his brother Frank.

Also in 1919, Sanborns acquired its most famous branch location, the 16th century House of Tiles, the Casa de los Azulejos, a major Mexico City tourist attraction and national monument. This is probably the world's only pharmacy decorated with a mural by José Clemente Orozco. [2]

In 1946, Frank Sanborn sold his interest in Sanborns to fellow pharmacist Charles Walgreen Jr. of Chicago.

Like Walgreens, Sanborns does not use an apostrophe in its name. In Sanborns' case, it is due to the Spanish language not using apostrophes to indicate possession.

Walgreens sold its interest in 1985. Currently, Sanborns is a unit of conglomerate Grupo Carso which itself is controlled by the Slim family, the richest clan in Latin America. Sanborns controls Sears Roebuck de México (nearly 50 stores). It also owns about 125 Sanborns stores (a combination of restaurants, drugstores and book and gift shops); 34 Sanborns Cafés; nearly 65 Discolandia, Mixup, No Problem and Tower Records music stores. Sanborns also operates its eponymous Web site selling electronics, computers, music, books, toys, drugs and more. Chairman Carlos Slim Helu controls Sanborns.

The first Sanborns outside México is located in El Salvador (Central America) since 2005.