dozens of new openings, more logistical muscle and innovation
The end of the year is coming and it is time to take stock. The main Spanish supermarket chains they close a cycle in which there have been adjustments (of personnel and stores) in some cases, dozens of new openings in many others, as well as a reinforcement of the logistics muscle with the beginning and completion of powerful platforms and the commitment to innovation. According to the ‘Food in Spain 2025’ report prepared annually by the public operator Mercasa, Mercadona, Carrefour, Lidl, Day, aldi either Alcampo (including discount stores) add up a market share in food of 67.2% compared to 11% of specialized trade, 12.7% of hypermarkets and 2.2% of electronic commerce. The Spanish Association of Distributors, Self-service and Supermarkets (Asedas) highlights, in its ‘IV Report on local food distribution in Spain’, that this format has recorded continuous increases in its commercial network since 2020, going from 10,278 to 10,589 establishments. Therefore, the supermarket continues to enjoy good health…
Acquisitions and rewards
Mercadona, the undisputed leader in the Spanish market with a share close to 30%, ends this year with a significant operation for its logistics performance: the acquisition of its supplier specialized in the management of reusable packaging, Logifruitafter 30 years of close alliance and which will involve the incorporation of its 1,600 workers to the distribution giant. The company’s future sights are set on the ‘Ready to eat’(prepared dishes), which is already present in more than 1,260 establishments, and in expansion in Portugal, as stated by its president Juan Roig during the last congress of AECOC, the consumer association, last October.
The Spanish Association of Distributors, Supermarkets and Supermarkets (Asedas) highlights, in its ‘IV Report on local food distribution in Spain’, that this format has registered continuous increases in its commercial network since 2020, going from 10,278 to 10,589 establishments.
The distribution group ends the year with good news for its employees: extends the vacation period by one more week going from 30 to 37 days a year for the company’s 110,000 employees. Which will cost 100 million euros annually and will come into force with the new year. both in Spain and Portugal. In addition to distributing for the second consecutive year an extraordinary gratification of around 280 million euros corresponding to a monthly payment that would be added to the variable remuneration of one or two monthly payments depending on seniority.
Dozens of new openings
The chapter on new openings is lengthy this year. If we look at Mercadona’s immediate competitor, with around 9% market share, the French group Carrefour This year, it has inaugurated a hundred new establishments throughout Spain with the opening of a new Carrefour Expres supermarket on General Perón Street in Madrid. The company has been developing since 2019 an ambitious expansion roadmap throughout Spain and there are already around 1,600 establishments in the Spanish market. The new openings, they estimate, have generated 1,100 new jobs. Its head of Proximity and Franchises, Jesús Bermejo, assured that the group is committed to “a strategy that combines formats such as the hypermarket, and proximity and convenience supermarkets”.
They have also made movements in this direction since Lidl. According to the roadmap planned for their 2025 fiscal year, which extends from March 1 of this year to February 28, 2026, they plan to invest in the opening of almost 50 new establishments throughout the Spanish market. Of all of them, about 40 points of sale will be newly created and the rest will be the product of modernizations and expansions of existing stores. Only in November it opened 5 new supermarketsafter a disbursement of 25 million euros, in locations as different as L`Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), Jaén (Andalusia), Alhaurín de la Torre (Málaga) and Salamanca (Castilla y León). The company estimated that all these openings were going to generate more than 120 stable jobs.
A similar journey is taking aldiwhich continues to show significant growth, closes this year with 33 new openings (28 new stores and 5 transfers) and now has a total of 496 supermarkets in the national territory, with which its workforce now exceeds 8,000 people throughout the country. As reported a few days ago by the distribution group, they have strengthened their position in autonomous regions such as Andalusia and Catalonia with 7 and 6 openings, respectively, followed by Madrid (5 new supermarkets) and Valencia where it has opened 2 new stores, among other new locations. Furthermore, according to estimates, in the last year they have gained 400,000 new buyers.
There are two supermarket chains that have undergone a real ‘chip change’ this year: Alcampo and Dia. Both have embarked on increasing their commercial network, after putting order at home, especially in the areas of financing and human resources.
‘Change of chip’ in Dia and Alcampo
But there are two supermarket chains that have undergone a real ‘chip change’ this year: Alcampo and Day. Both have embarked on increasing their commercial network, after putting order at home, especially in the areas of financing and human resources. For Alcampo, 2025 has been worthy of the most demanding stages of the Vuelta Ciclista a España: a EREa change in general direction and, finally, the beginning of a new stage of expansion. First came the adjustments, which meant the departure of 565 peopleaffecting 144 supermarkets and 8 hypermarkets. In addition to assuming the change to the 7-day-a-week signature of 5 establishments. Then came the replacement of Américo Ribeiro at the head of the company and the appointment of Carlos Pedreira Freria as new general director. In a meeting with journalists a few days ago, to present the Christmas campaign, the executive opened a new time: he announced the opening of 37 new stores facing 2026, among them, the first franchised hypermarket in its history in Illescas (Toledo).
Day Not only has it been clawing for market share for months, but last March it premiered its new ‘Strategic Plan 2025-2029’ in which the goal has been set – after closing the group’s refinancing – to open 300 new stores in this period of time, at 60 per year. A figure that this year is expected to exceed, even the CEO of Dia España Ricardo Álvarez pointed out a few weeks ago to around 90 new stores by the end of this year. Which is 50% more than what was initially indicated in the distributor’s new roadmap. A growth that will be supported largely by franchises. It has also found a potential avenue for growth in alliances such as the one established with the energy company BP for the opening of a dozen stores in its service stations. Two establishments are now open at the gas stations in Pozuelo de Alarcón and Las Rozas (Madrid). A formula that, for the moment, is limited to the Madrid region and the Andalusian community.
Tuning up the logistics muscle
In the logistics chapter, for example, distributors such as Dia and Aldi have been among the most active during the last year. This year, the German group completed the expansion of its logistics platform in Pinto (Madrid) to which it has added 9,000 square meters, reaching almost 40,000 m2 with the aim of strengthening its capacity to supply its establishments throughout the country. In total, aldi It has a logistics network of more than 248,000 m2. For its part, Dia plans to invest more than 70 million euros until 2029 to fine-tune its logistics network. This year a new logistics center has been inaugurated in Two Sisters (Seville)for which it has invested 50 million euros and in which it wants to employ almost 230 people. It has also announced the construction of a new logistics center in Malagawhich wants to be ready in the first half of 2017, and which will have a total area of more than 64,000 square meters. It will become its second largest facility. In terms of innovation, for example, Dia has announced the modernization of sales terminals (POS) in more than 2,300 stores. Which will mean an investment of more than 15 million euros.
