Spain's supermarket sector is highly competitive, featuring a mix of domestic retail giants like Mercadona, DIA, and El Corte Inglés, international players such as Carrefour, Lidl, and Aldi, along with numerous smaller, regional chains that contribute to the dynamic retail landscape.
In June 2024, Spain's consumer price index (CPI) stood at 3.4%, down slightly from 3.6% in May, according to data from the national statistics agency, INE.
This decline was partly driven by a reduction in food and beverage prices, with the annual CPI for this sector falling by 0.2 percentage points to 4.2%. The decrease in the prices of oils and fats was a significant contributor to this trend, as reported by INE.
Earlier this year, a survey by representative group AECOC revealed that two-thirds (66%) of Spanish brand owners anticipated a positive summer, with no significant supply issues expected. The AECOC Pulse of the Sector report indicated that a majority of brand owners concluded the first quarter with a positive increase in value sales, with 84% reporting a rise. Additionally, nearly half (46%) noted an increase in volume sales during this period.
AECOC's findings suggest that Spanish firms are in a stronger position than they were a year ago, with 67% meeting their planned objectives and 25% exceeding their sales expectations.
This optimistic outlook was supported by a separate study conducted in July by the Spanish Marketing Association (AMKT) and consultancy firm GfK, which found that large businesses in Spain expect market stability to persist through the end of the year. The study highlighted positive expectations for market performance and sales in the latter half of 2024.
Improved market conditions have positively impacted Spanish consumers, with a recent study indicating that 70% of Spaniards have maintained or increased their visits to bars and restaurants this year.
However, cost-saving measures remain a priority for many, particularly in supermarket shopping. A new study by retailer Dia found that six in ten Spanish shoppers (60%) are buying more private-label products to save money. Approximately half of the respondents to the 'Tu Bolsillo al Dia' study reported that savings from purchasing private labels range between 10% and 25% of their monthly grocery bills.
The annual study underscored that Spanish shoppers are increasingly focused on saving money, leading to a rise in behaviours such as price comparison, seeking promotions, and planning weekly expenditures in advance.
In May, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez praised recent positive numbers on job creation, inflation and business growth, stating, "Spain is growing vigorously in an extraordinarily difficult geopolitical context, and this is a success for the country, for the employers, the unions and the workers and, of course, also for the government and the economic policy we are implementing."
Here's an overview of the top ten supermarket retail chains in Spain, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index.
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1. Mercadona
Turnover: €27.8 billion (2022)
Spanish retailer Mercadona was founded in 1977 by Grupo Cárnicas Roig (Butcher Group Roig). The company operates 1,632 stores in Spain and Juan Roig holds the position of CEO.
Mercadona’s annual turnover in 2022 was €27.8 billion, according to Retail-Index. It operates a number of private label brands, including Hacendado (food), Bosque Verde (household), Deliplus (personal care), and Compy (pet products).
In March, Mercadona announced plans to invest €5 billion over the next five years, including €1.1 billion in 2024, to expand its business in Spain and Portugal.
2. El Corte Inglés
Turnover: €10.7 billion (2022)
Spanish department store chain El Corte Inglés was founded in 1940. It currently operates an estimated 360 stores across a wide variety of banners, including El Corte Inglés, supermarket chains Hipercor and Supercor, and clothing stores Sfera and Sportown.
The group’s turnover in 2022 was €10.7 billion, according to Retail-Index.
Last year, Carrefour announced the acquisition of 47 supermarkets from El Corte Inglés.
3. Carrefour
Turnover: €9.5 billion (2022)
French retailer Carrefour opened its first store in Spain in 1973. It operates 1,463 stores across the country under a variety of different banners, including the Carrefour hypermarket brand, low-price supermarket Supeco, and Carrefour Express supermarkets and proximity stores, among others.
The retailer’s annual revenue was €9.5 billion in 2022.
In March, Carrefour announced it was significantly reducing the prices of a wider range of products in Spain, underpinning its commitment to shoppers facing a cost-of-living crisis.
4. Eroski
Turnover: €4.7 billion (2022)
Eroski was founded in 1969 in the Basque Country, and currently operates 1,195 stores, including Eroski hypermarket and supermarket banner, Caprabo supermarkets, and sports chain Forum Sport, among others.
The group reported a turnover of €4.7 billion in 2022. Eroski’s private labels include Eroski Contigo, organic range Eroski Bio, and personal care line Belle.
In June 2024, Eroski announced plans to open 159 additional stores over the next three years, alongside a €100 million investment in digitalisation.
5. Lidl
Turnover: €6.08 billion (2022)
Lidl opened its first store in Spain in 1994, and currently operates 635 stores in the country.
Its annual turnover in Spain stood at €6.08 billion in 2022. Private label brands operated by the group include dairy brand Milbona, the Vemondo vegan and vegetarian range, prepared foods range Chef Select, and personal care line Cien, among others.
In December, Lidl announced plans to open 30 new stores in Spain in 2024, taking its store count to more than 700. Its long-term goal is to reach 1,000 stores in Spain, according to corporate director Ferran Figueras.
6. Auchan (Alcampo)
Turnover: €4.77 billion (2022 – estimated)
Auchan Retail opened its first store in Spain in 1981, and currently boasts a network of 305 outlets. The group reported an estimated annual turnover of €4.77 billion in 2022, according to Retail-Index.
The group trades in Spain under the Alcampo brand. Its private labels include the Bio organic range, Cosmia personal care range, and toy brand One Two Fun.
Auchan Retail offers its customers an omni-channel shopping experience comprising all food and non-food retail formats (convenience stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets), supplemented by digital services (kerbside pickup, delivery or Click & Collect).
7. Consum
Turnover: €3.1 billion (2022)
Cooperative retailer Consum was founded in 1975 in Valencia, and currently operates 861 stores along Spain’s east coast as of 2022. It reported an annual turnover of €3.1 billion in 2022.
Consum has 50 new openings planned for this year, split between Consum and Charter stores.
8. Dia
Turnover: €835 million (2021)
Dia was founded in 1979 in Madrid, and currently operates 3,962 stores as of 2022 under different retail banners, such as personal care retailer Clarel, and El Árbol, as well as its signature supermarket brand. It also operates the Minipreço banner in Portugal.
DIA's net annual turnover in 2021 was €835 million, according to Retail-Index.
Speaking in January, Martín Tolcachir, global CEO of Dia Group said, “Looking ahead, the company faces 2024 supported by the solid transformation carried out and with a vision that places the customer at the centre with the ambition of being their favourite neighbourhood and online store." The group recently announced the sale of its assets in Brazil.
9. SPAR
Turnover: €1.8 billion (2022)
SPAR is an international retail chain that has a strong presence in Spain. With a turnover of €1.82 billion in 2021, according to Retail-Index, SPAR Española, S.L. operates under the SPAR banner and has 851 stores across the country.
SPAR Spain was founded in 1959 by a group of wholesalers who wanted to join an international organisation.
As a result, the brand became the first voluntary trading chain to be established in Spain, having been granted a license by SPAR International. Together, 13 regional SPAR wholesalers actively continue the expansion of the brand across the country.
10. Ahorramas
Turnover: €1.66 billion (2022)
Spanish retailer Ahorramas was founded in 1979, and currently operates over 275 stores across the Madrid and Castilla La Mancha regions.
The group posted a turnover of €1.66 billion in 2022.
The retailer invested €98 million in its operations in 2023, up from €88 million in 2022, primarily in opening 13 new eco-friendly stores and renovating existing ones.
About Retail-Index
Retail-Index is a specialist supplier of management information on consumer retail markets, provided by Veraart Research Group in the Netherlands. Its mission is to supply managers with up-to-date key information on retail markets in Europe and support them in their international expansion.
The company dates back to 1964, when it started as a market research and marketing consulting company for consumer products and services. In 1989, it started publishing written reports on various retail sectors in Europe. As of 2005, it publishes its information on retailers through the online database and curated datasheet exports available on www.retail-index.com. A team of researchers manages the data to reflect upon current developments in the markets, collected from an extensive number of sources.
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