COMPAÑIA ARGENTINA
DEL SUD S.A.
The Argentine Company of the South, popularly known as ARGENSUD, was founded on November 1, 1919, based on the trading houses of the firms Müller Hermanos, Stubenrauch y Cía., and Federico Brohme.
This company, which began with the acquisition of businesses in various locations throughout Patagonia, quickly became a key player in the economic development of the region.
Photograph taken from the old dock in the 1920s. It shows several important businesses of the time, including La Anónima, Argensud, and Casa Watson.
In Puerto San Julián, ARGENSUD established its headquarters in the premises that had previously belonged to the Müller brothers, located on the site where the municipal gym is currently situated. Since its founding, the company has been noted for its wide range of products and services, operating as a general store that encompassed everything from hardware and fashion to automobile sales, with sections for groceries, bazaar items, perfumery, and footwear.
Photograph of the Argensud store fire in 1939.
On February 9, 1939, the ARGENSUD building in San Julián suffered a devastating fire that forced the company to seek a new location.
That year, Argensud acquired the building that belonged to Watson and Gordoniz, another prominent commercial house in the area, where they reestablished their operations.
Photograph from the celebration of the company's 25th anniversary in 1944. Argensud was already established in the Watson building.
The Argentine Company of the South played a fundamental role in the progress of Puerto San Julián, connecting the urban and rural population with a constant supply of high-quality products and services.
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Additionally, the company had a generous credit policy, especially towards landowners, which allowed many of them to maintain and develop their activities in a growing economic context.
The second half of the 20th century brought a period of decline for many businesses in the region.
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The desertification of the land due to overgrazing and difficulties accessing water, coupled with the lack of appropriate technologies and the fall in international wool prices, along with the rise of synthetic fibers, significantly eroded the profitability of livestock farming in Patagonia.
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As a result, ARGENSUD, along with other companies established in San Julián, began to experience a sustained deterioration that culminated in the closure of its local branch by the late 1970s.