FEMSA Stockholders Approve Dividend Increase

          MONTERREY, Mexico, March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. (NYSE: FMX) (BMV: FEMSAUBD) (“FEMSA” or “the Company”) held its Annual General Ordinary Stockholders’ Meeting today, at which shareholders approved the annual report for 2005 presented by the Board of Directors, the consolidated financial statements for 2005, the declaration of the dividend corresponding to fiscal year 2005, and the composition of the Board of Directors for 2006.

          The stockholders approved the payment of a dividend for an amount of 986 million pesos, versus 660 million pesos last year.

          The dividend will be paid on June 15, 2006, upon submittal of Coupon Number 1, as follows: 0.147514 pesos for each Series B share and 0.184393 pesos for each Series D share.  This corresponds to actual dividend payments of 0.885085 pesos for each BD Unit and 0.737571 pesos for each B Unit. Therefore, each ADR (NYSE: FMX) will receive a dividend payment of 8.85 pesos.

          In addition, stockholders approved 3,000 million pesos as the maximum amount that could potentially be used in stock repurchases, as per Mexican legislation.

          Jose Antonio Fernandez Carbajal, Chairman and CEO of FEMSA, commented, “In 2005, we reinforced our position as one of the world’s leading integrated beverage companies.  During the year, we leveraged our strengths to generate important advances in our industry, lifting standards in market execution and brand management and furthering our business integration.

          “These great results were made possible thanks to the talent, creativity, discipline and hard work of the more than 90,000 men and women that form part of the FEMSA family,” concluded Jose Antonio Fernandez.

          The Board of Directors was appointed as follows:

Board of Directors 2006
SERIES “B”