By the close of 2016, our value offering is now present in 608 cities, totaling 3,022 operating units throughout Mexico and Central America. This year the focus was on improving productivity in our self-service stores in Mexico. We increased on-shelf availability of our products and reduced shrink levels in departments such as Produce, Meat, and Bakery.
In addition, we also expanded our workload management initiative to all areas of the store, with the purpose of having the right number of associates for the different demand levels. In Mexico and Central America we optimized our working capital through improved inventory levels and accounts payable, leveraged by our commercial strategy. Regarding the future of our business, we worked to have a more robust opening plan, which translates to stores operating with more advanced technology, with greater efficiency, and with greater safety for our customers.
Comp store sales grew 8.0% in Mexico and 4.9% in Central America, with the latter figure excluding currency fluctuations. To reinforce our store base, be more firmly positioned, and continue honoring our commitment with our customers, we conducted the most comprehensive remodeling program in the last few years. In the subject of Units Sold per Labor Hour, said productivity index for Mexico grew 4.7% over that reported for 2015 in our self-service formats.
In addition to our traditional sales channels, we made improvements to our digital platforms: walmart.com.mx, superama.com.mx and sams.com.mx so that the shopping experience in each format is in keeping with the specific needs of their customers/members.
