Spain’s Mercadona has emerged as the favourite supermarket of Portuguese consumers, according to a study by local consumer rights organisation – Deco.
Mercadona, which will end 2021 with 29 stores in Portugal, achieved 8.6 points out of a total of 10, edging out El Corte Inglés (8.1), Auchan, Aldi and Lidl (all at 7.9).
In the online supermarket category, Minipreço scored the highest in customer satisfaction (7.7 out of 10), closely followed by Pingo Doce and El Corte Inglés (both with 7.6).
Portuguese consumers cited several reasons for choosing one supermarket over another.
For 37%, practical reasons counted above all, such as proximity to work or home. Only 16% mentioned the shop's good prices, and 9% factored in promotions or discounts.
Quality Of Products
Mercadona was the only chain where respondents cited the quality of the products as the most important factor when choosing a supermarket, the study noted.
However, the survey also found other products that the Portuguese prefer to buy outside the supermarket. These include meat at the butchers; bread in bakeries; fish in fishmongers and markets; and fruit and vegetables in traditional shops and markets.
Dairy products (77%), followed by olive oil, pasta and rice, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables (both with 72%) were the most purchased products by consumers.
Private-Label Purchases
For grocery purchases, shoppers chose private-label products in Lidl, Mercadona, Minipreço and Pingo Doce stores.
On the other hand, when buying olive oil, pasta and rice, they gave priority to private-label brands sold in Aldi, Intermarché Super, Lidl and Mercadona.
The study, which took place in July 2021, polled over 5,000 consumers on what they buy, how much they spend, and what they like in 16 physical shop chains and six online.
Read More: Mercadona To Expand To Lisbon Next Year
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
