Maitland-based pawn-shop operator plans to open first store in Mexico, also delays IPO

Maitland-based Value Pawn & Jewelry, an operator of pawn shops in Florida and Georgia, said it plans to open stores in the Guadalajara region of Mexico.

The company said its first store in Mexico is expected to open in March, with three others planned to open by the end of 2008. The new stores will operate under the banner of "Value F Empeño y Joyería."

"Mexico is an untapped market for us, with more than 7 million people in Guadalajara alone," John Thedford, chief executive officer of Value Pawn & Jewelry, said in a written statement.