Spanish retailer Mercadona has inaugurated 35 new supermarkets this year, making a total of 1,502 outlets.
The investment in new stores and refurbishments to August amounts to €175 million, and it expects to open 19 supermarkets more before the end of this year.
Each of the new stores has a broad selection of fresh produce, including fish, fruit and vegetables, with stocked produce tailored to certain regional tastes.
Some 21,000 employees will be trained as specialists in fresh produce, with the aim of recapturing the characteristics of a traditional grocer, which means an investment of €15 million.
Mercadona, which has consistently grown for 33 years in Spain, finished 2013 with revenue of €9,812 million (€515 million net profit), up 4 per cent on the previous year.
Some 85 per cent (14,500,000,000) of purchases in food retail in Spain each year are Spanish.
© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article written by Peter Donnelly and Paula Martin.