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The historic Focsa building in El Vedado, Havana, has just opened a dollarized supermarket, marking another step in the growing dependence of the Cuban regime on the U.S. dollar.
The establishment, managed by CIMEX —a subsidiary of the military conglomerate GAESA— in partnership with the Spanish company Inversiones Pucara S.A. (Ipsa), opened its doors this week amid expectations and criticisms, as reported by the independent newspaper 14ymedio.
The market, which bears the Supermix Market brand, already has shelves full of imported products, ranging from cured meats and dairy to pet food.
However, the appeal of the offer is overshadowed by difficulties in payment: the banking connection is disrupted, and cashiers only accept green bills. Due to the lack of coins, customers are given candies or chocolates as change, the mentioned source reported.
The prices, described as "medium to high" by consulted buyers, reflect the exclusivity of a commerce that is inaccessible to most Cubans, whose average salary does not exceed 20 dollars per month in the informal market.
The scene becomes even more contradictory as it takes place in a building that symbolized the splendor of the Cuban bourgeoisie in the 1950s and, after 1959, was nationalized to house high-ranking officials and allies of the regime.
The supermarket not only reflects the partial dollarization driven by Havana since last January but also the growing influence of foreign companies in a market dominated by the military sector.
Ipsa, based in Panama and present on the Island since 1997, has established itself as a supplier of international wines, food, and beverages, even competing with national brands weakened by the production crisis.
Amidst power outages and widespread shortages, the gleam of the new market in the lower level of the Focsa contrasts sharply with the darkness that prevails across the rest of the country.
Expansion of dollarized stores in Cuba
The opening of the supermarket in the lower levels of Focsa fits into a growing trend towards the dollarization of retail trade in Cuba.
Since the beginning of 2025, the government has promoted the creation and reopening of dozens of stores that only accept foreign currency, deepening the divide between those who have access to the dollar and the majority of the population that relies on the devalued Cuban peso.
In February, the Ministry of Domestic Trade announced the inauguration of 50 new dollar stores across the country, while shortly after, "Las Maravillas" opened discreetly in Holguín, featuring products for perfumes, cleaning, and baby items.
That same month, CiberCuba reported that the Altahabana Shopping Center in Havana began operating exclusively in dollars, with payments accepted in cash, international cards, or local prepaid cards.
By March, the reopening policy had already established a circuit of commerce in foreign currency, excluding the CUP and MLC. In May, the number of establishments operating solely in dollars exceeded 85 across the Island, according to press reports.
The phenomenon has intensified over the months. In July, CiberCuba warned that the dollarization of food and basic products continued to expand, while the use of MLC was declining rapidly.
This trend confirms that access to essential goods is increasingly dependent on the ability to obtain U.S. dollars, which deepens social inequality in the country.
GAESA and the new dollar supermarket, a fragment of a military empire?
The inauguration of the market in the basement of Focsa is not an isolated event, but part of a broader framework that falls within the economic strategy of the military conglomerate GAESA.
Recent leaks of internal financial documents—obtained by the Miami Herald and analyzed by CiberCuba—reveal an empire with liquid assets exceeding 18 billion dollars, positioning GAESA as the true economic engine of the regime, even surpassing state reserves.
These revelations demonstrate how GAESA accumulates liquidity—over 76% in dollars—does not pay taxes in foreign currency, and receives continuous state subsidies, operating with complete impunity and without citizen oversight or independent auditing.
CIMEX, one of its main subsidiaries and partner in this new store is part of this structure, suggesting that the establishment of Focsa is not only a commercial strategy but also an expansion of military control over trade in hard currency.
The contrast is stark: while the country suffers from massive blackouts, shortages of food, medicines, and minimum wages that barely exceed 16 dollars a month, GAESA concentrates immense fortunes without being held accountable.
This structure has been described by analysts as a "kleptocratic oligarchy", a state within the state that prioritizes its monetary gains over meeting the most urgent needs of the population.
In this context, the new dollarized store at Focsa is not just another exclusive shop: it is the embodiment of the economic strategy of a military conglomerate backed by political power, which consolidates its dominance and expands its presence in everyday life by opening spaces designated solely for those who have access to foreign currency.
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