GAESA Partner Vima Begins Pulling Out of Cuba Under US Sanctions, Report Says
BUSINESS · CUBA
Key Facts
- —The country Cuba, where US sanctions target GAESA, the military-run conglomerate behind the Cimex and Tiendas Caribe store chains.
- —What happened On 30 September 2026, 14ymedio reported that Spanish food group Vima had removed its name from its one Havana store and scaled back warehouses.
- —The numbers Cuba brought in €49 million (about US$56 million) of Vima’s €106 million (about US$120 million) unit revenue in 2025, 14ymedio reported in April 2026.
- —What it means for you Vima-brand tins and packets were still on Havana shelves on 30 September. Supply of imported staples could thin if the exit deepens.
- —Still open Vima has made no announcement. It is unclear whether the move is a full exit, a rebranding or a pause.
GAESA partner Vima, a Spanish food group tied to Cuba’s military-run business conglomerate, has begun pulling back from Cuba. The independent Cuban outlet 14ymedio reported it on 30 September. Its name has been stripped from the Havana store it ran with GAESA’s retail arm Cimex.
There has been no official announcement from the company. Two store employees told 14ymedio the firm was “in the process of withdrawing”, while Vima-brand goods were still on sale.
What 14ymedio found in Havana
The store at Infanta and Santa Marta, in Centro Habana, no longer carries the Vima sign on its front or inside. On Wednesday, marks were still visible where the name had been torn off.
The shelves held only tinned and packaged Vima goods, with nothing fresh. 14ymedio said the shop has had power on very few days since June and has no generator.
The firm’s Cuban unit, Vima Caribe, still runs warehouses on the Carretera de Berroa outside Havana. Of its three buildings there, only one still held goods, the outlet reported.
Why sanctions are the likely reason
Washington has steadily widened sanctions on GAESA and the companies around it this year. 14ymedio said the newest measures, in force from 30 September, include a ban on professional travel and frozen US bank accounts for Cuban private firms.
Vima’s link to the United States is direct. It ships US farm goods to Cuba through Vima USA, with offices in New York and Miami. That is according to the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, cited by 14ymedio.
In July, Vima hired the Washington lobbying firm Continental Strategy. Its founder, Carlos Trujillo, is a former US ambassador to the Organization of American States. The firm ended the contract on 1 September, after about five weeks, Diario de Cuba and 14ymedio reported.
Continental Strategy declared fees of US$37,742 in its filing to Congress and gave no reason for the break. It listed the State Department among the agencies it had contacted.
How much Cuba matters to Vima
Cuba is the group’s largest market. Its Spanish unit, Corporación Alimentaria Vima, booked €106 million (about US$120 million) in 2025. Of that, €49 million (about US$56 million) came from Cuba, 14ymedio reported in April.
The Dominican Republic followed with €33 million (about US$37 million) and Mexico with €15.4 million (about US$17 million). Figures use 0.88 euros per dollar as of 1 October 2026.
The group also has room to absorb a loss. It expects US$250 million in worldwide sales in 2026, more than double 2024. It is also expanding in the Americas, Europe and Africa.
Its Cuban ambitions were already shrinking. A 2024 plan with GAESA’s Tiendas Caribe chain covered about 20 shops. Only the Centro Habana store opened, according to 14ymedio.
Part of a wider foreign retreat
The GAESA partner Vima would join a list of foreign firms stepping back under US pressure. The Spanish hotel group Meliá pulled its brands from Cuba in July, as covered in Meliá Exits Cuba as US Sanctions Bite Tourism.
Havana argues that the sanctions, rather than its own policies, are slowing its opening to private business. That case is set out in Cuba Says US Sanctions Are Holding Back Its Opening to Private Business.
A Vima executive told El País this year that the situation was “complex”, 14ymedio noted. Cuba’s hotel trade, a core client, is in deep depression. For background on the conglomerate, see GAESA, The Secretive Military Empire That Controls Cuba’s Economy.
What Is Not Yet Known
Vima has not said whether it is leaving Cuba, rebranding its store or simply cutting costs during blackouts. One store worker suggested power cuts as the reason, and none could say who would take over.
The withdrawal rests on 14ymedio’s reporting alone and has not been independently confirmed. Vima’s website still lists its Cuban unit, Vima Caribe, and one Berroa warehouse remains in use.
Sources: 14ymedio (30 Sep 2026); 14ymedio (6 Sep 2026); 14ymedio (8 Apr 2026); Diario de Cuba (7 Sep 2026); exchange rate open.er-api.com, 1 Oct 2026.
Read More from The Rio Times